𝐒𝐏𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒 - ★彡[ᴀʟʜᴀɪᴛʜᴀᴍ]彡★

𝟕 - '𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐑 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐘'

The time for the dinner party befell upon me. I shoved down my anxiety and remembered what I had rehearsed. The personality I had to fabricate myself with was a rather timid yet polite girl who displayed proper etiquette. To fit with this persona, I picked a rather modest navy blue dress befitting one with a fashion sense who was also humble.

I left my hair down but made sure it was neatly brushed, adding a hair clip to give that extra pizazz. When my boss knocked on my door, I walked over and opened it, praying to some deity that he would approve of my outfit choice.

He was clad in a black tie with a dark emerald bowtie, the soft fragrance of roses wafting off of him. Alhaitham's hair was done neatly and slightly gelled back, giving him a refined look. I was slightly taken aback, as I truly hadn't realized that he could get much more formal than how he was at work. His hair being held back allowed me to get a better look at his face. God has favorites... Giving a polite bow, he offered me his arm.

"I see you've done adequate preparations. Thank you. I honestly wasn't entirely expecting you to bother reading through the papers I supplied," his voice was curt and his statement brief, but he seemed somewhat pleased. "The guests will be here in mere minutes." Alhaitham had described the situation as 'going out to dinner,' but in actuality, we were staying at home. It made things a little safer in terms of the press, so I was grateful for the change.

"Shall we go?" I tilted my head.

"Yes."

I looped my arm rather awkwardly around his, the heat of his body spreading into mine. He seemed completely unphased by our situation and walked down the staircase. The doorbell rang right when we reached the bottom of the stairwell. We walked towards the door together, and it was opened by one of the many servants Alhaitham had employed.

"Good evening, Mr. Kamisato," Alhaitham greeted his guest with a courteous bow, "it's a pleasure to have you tonight."

"The pleasure is all mine," 'Mr. Kamisato' gave us a shrewd smile, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings. "This is my secretary, Hiyori Shimoda. I figured I'd bring her with me, since I don't personally have a partner to take with."

The brown-haired woman dipped her head in turn. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Alhaitham. It's a pleasure to meet your wife as well." Hiyori Shimoda offered me a small smile as if to reassure me that she had no ill intent. 

I reacted to her statement with a soft smile. "I'm pleased to meet you two as well. I haven't shown myself to the public in ages, and to be frank, it's nice to get some interaction with those besides my husband. I love him very much, of course, but his constant doting can be tiring."

Alhaitham laughed lightly, a very fake and unusual sound, but to the public, it could be interpreted as genuine. "I just try to make your life here as enjoyable as possible."

Wrapping his arm around my waist, he once again turned his gaze to 'Mr. Kamisato.' "Shall we go inside? I wouldn't want you two to have to stand at the doorway."