Reborn Shadows: Destiny's Thread

| 15

The next few days went by like a breeze, and soon it became New Year's Eve. The end of the year naturally lifted everyone's spirits. Despite the cold weather, the atmosphere still circulated the warmth in people's hearts, fostering a spirit of celebration.
 
But it seemed the lighthearted feeling didn't reach Amelia. Instead of joining in the excitement, Amelia spent her time brooding in her room. Amelia felt uneasy due to the fact that her family invited the Wallace Viscount family for a grand dinner at their estate. Amelia wasn't pleased with the situation, having to be in the same room with the two people who had a major role in causing her downfall in her past life.
 
But then she also saw this as an opportunity to reveal her unwillingness to remain engaged with Christopher, the Viscount's most useless son. The more she thought about him, the more she realized the inefficiencies of Christopher Wallace.
 
"My lady." Emma came into her room, snapping Amelia out of her thoughts. Amelia noticed an envelope in her maid's hand.
 
"It looks like another fan mail!" Emma giggled as she handed the envelope to Amelia. Amelia stares at the envelope, uninterested. The so-called 'fan mails' that Emma spoke of were one of the reasons Amelia started a relationship with Christopher. After this night—after she successfully ends the engagement—the estate would become flooded with letters again.
 
She reluctantly opened the envelope and took out the letter. The first line of the letter piqued her interest.

                 'I FINALLY FOUND YOU,
 
She instantly knew who had sent this letter. She giggled as she continued reading the letter.

'YOU WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT WE MIGHT NEVER SEE EACH OTHER AGAIN. I ENJOYED YOUR COMPANY SO MUCH, I WOULD LIKE US TO BE PEN PALS!
I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU'
- LUCAS'

Amelia's laughter rang through the room as she read through the contents of the letter. The unexpected joy the letter brought to Amelia piqued Emma's curiosity.
 
Emma couldn't resist the urge. She leaned slightly closer to catch its contents, her eyes fixed on the letter in Amelia's hand. "From whom is the letter, My Lady?" she inquired with a hint of eagerness and interest.
 
With a contented smile, Amelia looked up from the letter and met Emma's curious gaze. "It's from a friend I made at the royal library," she answered, her tone carrying genuine delight. Her newfound friend seemed to have brought a renewed sense of enthusiasm to her day.
 
"A friend?" Emma was surprised because Amelia had never received a letter that interested her so much. Emma instantly thought of who that person could be. Her mind went to those two ladies she saw with Amelia the other time.
 
"Is it those ladies we met at that dinner place, Miss?" Emma asked. Amelia looked at Emma and beamed.
 
"No, it's not. It's a man." Amelia answered, which made Emma scoff.
 
"A man desires to befriend my lady? That's impossible. I don't mean it in a bad way, but men don't come to my lady offering just  friendship." Emma guided Amelia to her dressing table and started making her hair for the grand dinner.
 
"In fact, my lady should be more careful with whom she strikes up a conversation in public places like that, especially with men!" Emma nagged as Amelia silently listened to her; she felt like a child being scolded by her mother, even though Emma was three years younger than her.
 
"My lady is too naive for her good." Emma picked up a brush and brushed Amelia's hair. "Did he tell you his name?"
 
Amelia nodded. "Well, what does he look like?" Emma asked further, and Amelia suddenly became mute.
 
"Well?" Emma stared at her through the mirror. Amelia still didn't say anything, meeting Emma's eyes through the mirror. Emma sighed, then dropped the brush on the dressing table and faced Amelia with her arms folded.
 
"You are not saying anything?" Emma frowned.
 
"I don't exactly know what he looks like." Amelia rubbed the back of her neck, embarrassed. "He sent a note to me under the shelf; I didn't see his face."
 
"What..!?" Emma screamed, "You haven't seen him at all. What if he's a sixty-something-year-old that preys on young women?"
 
"Emma! I understand your concern in this situation, but I believe I have nothing to worry about. He just wants us to be pen pals, which is good. We don't get to see each other often, and all we will do is send letters to one another. It's going to be fine." Amelia assured her. Emma still felt uneasy about maintaining a friendship with such a person.
 
"Whatever you think is best." Emma sighed, defeated. Since Amelia has already made up her mind, it would be difficult to persuade her. Emma finally finishes Amelia's hair and proceeds to help Amelia with her outfit—an elegant light blue gown.
 
Emma, after being satisfied with Amelia's outfit, gave a big thumbs up while smiling at the end, which made Amelia laugh. Their little moment was interrupted when the butler knocked on Amelia's door.
 
"Miss, the Viscount's family has arrived." The butler spoke. Amelia's lighthearted mood immediately dampens. Emma notices this and tries to cheer her up.
 
"Miss, whatever happens tonight, I will always support you."Emma cheered. Amelia beamed. Emma has always been there to cheer her up; even in her past life, she feels less anxious now.
 
She left her room to join her family downstairs to welcome the Viscount's family. Her family was extravagantly dressed as usual, showcasing the wealth and prominence of the Hawthorne Ducal family.
 
But her brother had a frown on his face. "Why do we have to invite them?"
 
"Because they are going to become our in-laws soon." Liliana nearly gagged as she adjusted Slivian's bow tie. She too, wasn't in support of Amelia and Christopher's relationship.
 
"I don't want Sister Amelia to get married." He sighed sadly.
 
"I as well," Cyrus sighed too. Liliana glared at them both, fed up with their antics.
 
"Stop it; this means a lot to Amelia. She's coming now, so behave!" She scolded them as Amelia took her place beside Madeline, wearing a bored expression. She couldn't wait to end this engagement as soon as possible. Then the Viscount family entered the room with prideful expressions on their faces.
 
"We greet Duke Hawthorne and his family." Viscount Wallace spoke and bowed, as did the rest of the family.
 
"But very soon, there will be no need for excessive greetings because we are going to become family." His wife spoke with a smile that seemed to irk the entire Hawthorne family. Her father silently wondered why Amelia seemed to take a liking to their family.
 
"Very well then," The Duke cleared his throat before the Viscountess, with a loud squeal, approached Amelia and engulfed her in a big hug. Amelia stiffly gave a pat on the Viscountess' back before she released her from her hug.
 
"There is my daughter-in-law, looking so beautiful and graceful as usual." She gushed while she touched her chest dramatically. "I am so proud of my son for choosing someone as elegant as you."
 
Amelia raised her brow. 'Your son chose me? More like I chose him!' She gave Madam Wallace a stiff smile.
 
"Sure, why not?" Amelia spoke, then Madam Wallace turned to Christopher.
 
"Won't you say hello to your future wife?" She said it sternly, which made the Duke cough uncontrollably.
 
"Your grace!" The Viscount rushed forward before being stopped by the Duchess.
 
"The Duke is fine." The duchess smiled while patting the duke's back. "The cold is getting to him. Let's move into the dining room, shall we?"
 
Amelia silently chuckled at her parents' dramatic outburst. She was happy that the little show they put on stopped her from interacting with Christopher, while Christopher silently heaved a sigh of relief.
 
The dining room was elegantly decorated with expensive festive decor. The Viscount's family's eyes grew to the size of saucers as they admired their surroundings. The Duke frowned at the way they observed the dining room; he could smell their greed from where he was. Both families finally took their seats at the table.
 
Amelia sat next to Madeline and Slivian, while opposite her were Christopher and his brothers. The Duke sat at the head of the table, surrounded by his wife and the Viscount couple. As they settled, the servants brought in their food and began to place it on the table. Out of the corner of Amelia's eyes, she saw Emma approaching her with a different serving of food.
 
"It was ordered from the restaurant you normally go to." She whispered in Amelia's ears before bowing and leaving the dining room with the rest of the servants. Amelia couldn't help but smile. She thought of ways she could get through the dinner without raising any suspicion, and Emma once again came to her rescue.
 
"Why did your personal maid bring another dish for you? Aren't there enough dishes to choose from?" Madeline asked, breaking Amelia's little reverie, but Amelia didn't reply. Madeline scoffed and made a look towards Christopher, who rolled his eyes too, without anyone knowing.
 
"Let's eat." The Duke started as they began eating. Amelia solely focused on her food as she elegantly took a small portion of her meal into her mouth, and then Madeline started a conversation with Christopher.
 
"Sir Christopher, how was your Lu'minara?" She asked in a faux-sweet voice, and Amelia swore she saw a light blush on his face.
 
"It was wonderful though. We visited the Northern Veridian for a family reunion." He answered with a smile on his face.
 
"Oh really!" Madeline exclaimed with false excitement, "It's nice to spend the holidays with family. Don't you think, Sir Christopher?"
 
"Of course," he replied.
 
"What about that civil project, the one you said you were working on?" Madeline asked again. Amelia became attentive.
 
"Civil project?" Amelia finally spoke; the two stopped talking and turned to her before Madeline started laughing.
 
"Oh, perhaps you don't know. Sir Christopher is working on a project that will soon be approved by the Federal Bureau-Oops!" Madeline said before covering her mouth with her hand, like she said something bad.
 
"Or you don't even know about that, do you? That project means a lot to  Christopher." Madeline spoke, pretending to be hurt for Christopher, while her hands masked the smirk on her lips.

"I didn't tell her about it because I felt that wasn't worth it." Christopher stated, trying to appeal to Madeline. He felt his heart flutter at Madeline's 'thoughtful' actions.

"

You see, Amelia, Christopher is extremely hurt by your actions." Amelia becomes instantly confused. She didn't exactly understand what was happening, but whatever it was, she was already fed up with those two.
 
"Madeline, it's fine, honestly. That doesn't matter. I mean, at least you care. That's enough of me." Christopher said to Madeline softly
 
"Really!" Madeline smiled bashfully at Christopher's reply. Amelia's eyes narrowed on the two of them as she observed them in disgust.
 
'At least they should wait until the end of the dinner before they could openly flirt with each other!'
 
"Why are you acting so dramatic, little brother? The project might get rejected again like your other five mediocre projects in the past." Christopher's eldest brother spoke, demolishing the atmosphere between Christopher and Madeline.
 
Christopher flushed red while his brother laughed at him, and Madeline wore a bored expression. Amelia felt amused by the situation but tried her best not to break out laughing.
 
Amelia cleared her throat and continued eating while Christopher's brother winked at her with a smirk. Amelia rolled her eyes and focused on her food.
 
"I honestly don't get what Lady Amelia sees in you. You are just all talk and no show. So stop talking and let me capture Lady Amelia's interest with my amazing achievements." He licked his lips as he watched Amelia continue eating, ignoring him and paying him no attention.
 
Soon dinner went by with Christopher's eldest brother, whose name Amelia doesn't know, embarrassing him and making expensive jokes about Christopher. Amelia was quite pleased with Christopher's predicament, but it would have been a more wholesome experience if his elder brother didn't start hitting on her subtly.
 
"I would like to say something." The Duke stood with a glass of champagne in his hand and said, "I would like to appreciate Viscount Wallace and his family for joining us to celebrate New Year's Eve. Cheers to the coming year." He said it with a fake smile.
 
"And the matrimony of our children!" The Viscountess added heartily while they laughed.
 
"Oh really?" The Duke spoke through clenched teeth as his smile froze. Liliana smacked him with a forced smile on her face.
 
'I guess it's time now.' Amelia sighed as she also stood. "I would like to say something too." All eyes turned to Amelia while Madeline scoffed.
 
The Duke sighed and sat down, and Amelia continued, "I am very glad to celebrate New Year's Eve with the Viscount family, but unfortunately, I would have to publicly announce to both families that I am no longer interested in marrying Christopher, so I hereby cancel our engagement."
 
"WHAT!?!" Both families shrieked, but Madam Wallace was the loudest. The whole room experienced contrasting emotions, one of pure joy and relief, the other of shock and embarrassment. The Duke and his wife silently celebrated with each other, and their prayers were answered.
 
"There, I have said it!" Amelia said it with an expressionless face. Madam Wallace stood in shock.
 
"What's the reason for this sudden arrangement? Did Christopher agree to this?" She immediately glared at her son, who was shocked as well.
 
"I didn't know, I swear!" He answered
 
"Of course, how would you know?" His father rolled his eyes before muttering, "The only reasonable thing he ever did, he ruined it."
 
"No one knew." Amelia said, "Besides, there was nothing this relationship had to offer." Amelia shrugged. 
 
"Amelia darling!" Madam Wallace walked up to her with a hideous expression on her face. Please think this through. Did Christopher do anything stupid at all? I know how to deal with him."
 
"Since my daughter is no longer interested in the engagement, then it's off." The Duke was trying to mask the delight in his words. Madeline looked at Amelia with a confused expression.
 
"What's wrong with you?" She glared at Amelia. Amelia, enjoying the look on Madeline's face, gave a small smile and a shrug. Liliana approached Madam Wallace and put an arm around her shoulder.
 
"Let's not burden Amelia, who had the courage to say what's on her mind. Let's not overwhelm her. We have reached the end of the dinner now; why don't you go home? Okay?"
 
Liliana led Madam Wallace out of the dining room, while the Viscount and Christopher, together with his second son and the Duke, followed Liliana and Madam Wallace.
 
Madeline gave Amelia one last glare before storming out of the dining room. Amelia was confused.
 
'Isn't she supposed to be happy, or is that part of her pity act?'
 
"If anything, I am happy for you. If you need a real man, just send me a letter. I will be expecting you, fair lady." Christopher's eldest brother winked at her before leaving after his parents.
 
"Don't you even think of going after that one; I will never forgive you." Slivian spoke up beside her. She turned to him, smiled warmly, and pecked his forehead.
 
"Never will I ever!" She said that and hugged her brother.