Inhale

Chapter 39 - Belle of the Ball

"A gorgeous piece, isn't it?" a voice suddenly asked, pulling me out of my thoughts. I peered to my right to notice a gorgeous man standing besides me.

His short blond hair was tastefully slicked back, and his sharp, squinty gray eyes with narrow, dark brows implied a serious, straightforward nature. His pale skin and high cheekbones... they were to be desired, to say the least. With his ironed tux and nicely shaved face, he also appeared well groomed. He looked like the perfect gentleman—handsome, groomed and wealthy. However, compared to Phillip, there was still much to be desired. Then again, it's not fair to hold someone against Phillip, is it?

"Who are you?" I asked.

"My name is Ellis Jadille," he introduced, bowing, "and you, malady?"

"Alicia. Alicia Stacy," I replied, curtsying for the sake of formalities.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," he said. Unexpectantly, he lifted my hand and before I could say a thing, he kissed it as he looked straight at me. Uncertain of what to say, I instead gave him an awkward glance as I felt my eyebrows raise in confusion. Chuckling, he carried the conversation and asked, "Are you by any chance interested in fine art?"

"I adore art," I responded, "it's...interesting."

"Interesting? I suppose that's a fitting word," he chuckled, releasing my hand as he regained his perfect posture. He gestured to the mural we were standing on and asked, "Do you know about this piece?"

"No, I do not."

"Do you care for me to enthuse you?"

"Please do, sir,"

"This historical mosaic is a piece by the late Yves Sansoucie. He was a renowned, talented artist who was extraordinarily versatile. He was also a novelist, but isn't known for his literature. His work, which is displayed everywhere within this mansion, is arguably as ingenious and beautiful as those by Picasso. Obviously, he drew the attention of the Royal Family, who commissioned this piece you see before you," he explained. "Do you know the title of this piece?"

"No."

" 'L'enfant Implorante', which loosely translates to 'The Pleading Child'. It's a fitting title for this artwork, no?"

"Do you know who specifically commissioned this piece?"

"No one knows," he responded, placing a hand underneath his chin. What a Phillip move. "However, it's been in this ballroom for more than half a century, so it's possible the previous king ordered it for his late daughter."

"His daughter?"

"Princess Evangeline. Due to her status as a child of a mistress, she was locked up in the tower to prevent her existence from being discovered. It is said that one day, her head maid visited her...only to find a rotting corpse. Her chocolate-brown eyes had changed to an appalling pink, and her once gorgeous golden locks had drastically paled. The maid was blamed for her demise and beheaded. This happened over fifty years ago, right before the Libentinian Civil War started in this kingdom," he told, and then turned to me. "It's a tragic story, to say the least. No one knows what happened to the lovely maiden, except the Royal Family. However, since the princess wasn't beloved and known, no one felt the urge to uncover the secret. Not that I would want to know of the possibly-gruesome events that took place before the girl's passing," he said, laughing at the thought.

"How terrifying," I commented, placing a hand over my mouth to feign horror. By the looks of it, the X.Q virus was the cause of her death... but who would've unleashed it onto a princess? "Perhaps the woman had been poisoned?"

"That is highly-unlikely," he retorted, "the only way to see the princess was by traveling up her spiral staircase, which was said to be heavily-guarded. Climbing the tower was out of the question, as it extended too high for a mere human to climb even with help from a mechanism. She couldn't have been poisoned, unless it was by someone of importance."