Ophelia and The Dragons

Chapter 20

"Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask and he will tell you the truth."

-Oscar Wilde-

***

Ophelia's P.O.V

The day of the ball finally arrived.

From my room, I could see several carriages lining up toward the palace.

All of the guests seemed distinguished. The gowns and suits they wore were all well-made and they carried themselves with dignity.

I needed to learn a few things from them so I wouldn't appear out of place later on.

I changed into the dress and did my hair. A few maids were called to do it for me but I was not comfortable to have other people dressing me up.

So I did it myself and it turned out better than expected. once I was done, Helios walked into the room.

He had also changed into the suit and slightly changed his hairstyle. When he was wearing a formal attire like this, he looked like a member of the royalty.

I never paid much attention to his appearance before, but that evening I realized how handsome Helios truly was.

He had always been sweet and adorable whenever it was just the two of us, but this formal attire gave him a more serious and mature vibe.

For some strange reason, I could feel my heartbeat accelerating.

It was terrible, why would I react like this from looking at him? We had spent a hundred years with each other and I had never felt this way before.

"Lia, pull yourself together!" I reminded myself.

He approached me and a smile formed on his face.

"You look absolutely beautiful tonight." He complimented me.

"Hm, really? Thank you. Helios, you also look really good in a suit. Maybe I should ask for more suits for you in the future." I admitted.

"Really? I don't really like wearing a suit like this. But if you like it, Lia, then I don't mind wearing this more often from now on." He replied.

I didn't think he would be so obedient. It was time for us to put on the mask and I sighed before opening the door.

"Lia, I saw the other couple would have the woman's arms wrapped around the man's. Do you want to do it with me?" He asked innocently.

I looked at the other guests from above and he was right. I never did anything like this before but I wanted to.

I wrapped my hand around his arms and we walked down the stairs to join the other guests. As soon as we stepped in, I could feel other people staring at me.

My silver hair definitely stood out among the rest and caught quite a bit of attention. Most of the people had natural colored hair, black, brown, blonde, ash and other neutrals.

Having Helios beside me only added to the attention. I realized Helios was taller than most of the men in the room.

He also had a really well-built figure. Somehow, he reminded me of prince charming in stories I used to read as a child.

"Who are they? Are they member of the noble as well? Why haven't I seen them before?" I could hear whispers among the guests.

Both Helios and I decided to go to the corner of the room, hoping that the attention would lessen. It worked, temporarily.

When the party started, the royal family entered the room. Starting from the emperor, Edward Aristos, followed by the empress, Wilhemina and then the crown prince, Nicholas and Princess Serena.