I had stopped listening to their conversation a while ago.
I knew it was rude but I didn't want to talk to him or hear anything about him.
I just hated him for being so goddamn mysterious and for having such a gorgeous brother.
For serving such delicious food without ever eating much of it himself.
Mostly, I hated him for bringing me here and refusing to let me go.
I mean, I didn't exactly ask him to help me or anything like that.
He could have left me in the woods for the beast.
His words suddenly appeared in my head;
'the beast was once a human being'
I couldn't help but wonder if he had known the poor man, whose soul was now eaten up by anger and sorrow.
Once again I managed to get myself so deeply lost in my thoughts, that I didn't notice a voice calling out for me.
I jumped in my chair as Mason was now standing on the other side of the table, leaning in towards me.
I saw confusion and concern in his eyes.
"You had me worried there for a moment. You sure are a strange one..."
H-huh?
I wanted to protest and tell him that I was nowhere near strange but as soon as I opened my mouth he had already returned to his seat.
He sat leaned back in his chair with his feet on the table, throwing grapes at his brother who had now gotten up to stare out a window.
And I'm the strange one!?
That was how the morning passed by.
The two brothers having a Who-can-be-most-annoying competition, rain pouring on the other side of the window, maids running around in desperation to collect the food that had not been eaten but thrown onto the floor and me sitting for myself in my chair thinking of all the things I had to take in.
I was relieved when I finally was allowed to leave the table and return to my room.
I sighed as I closed the large door behind me and sat down in front of it while staring around in the now bright room.
Some things were different, even though it had not been that long since I had been there.
There were new colors in the room.
Green and turquoise carpets and curtains covered the room and gave it a somehow homely look to it.
The sheets had been changed into those same colors and there were added satin pillows for decoration.
I slowly stood up and walked around to study further changes in the room.
There was a little table beside the bed with a bouquet of white lilies in a beautifully decorated vase.
"I-it must be a coincidence..." I muttered to myself as I studied the flowers.
They couldn't know those were my favorite, there's no way they could have found out.
I shuddered slightly and left the flowers to look at the other side of the room.
This side was even more beautiful.
The mirror had been replaced by a larger one that seemed to be made of pure silver with roses carved in it.
I ran my fingers across the cold material, noticing small crystals covering the sides of the mirror.
Hmm... I wonder.
I turned to walk a few steps to the right to the closet that for some reason hadn't been replaced, though I was quite happy about that.
I let my hand rest on the handle for a short moment before I slowly opened it and looked inside.
They had been quite busy making those changes.
The closet was filled up with shoes, tops, skirts, jeans, T-shirts, dresses, and accessories.
I almost cried out in joy as I started trying on different things.
I ended up picking an outfit that matched the room.
I had found a beautiful gown in the back of the closet with the same turquoise color as the one that now dominated the room. The dress was a perfect fit, which for some reason did not surprise me one bit.
I looked at myself in the mirror, admiring the elegance this look had managed to give me.
The dress was a sweetheart cut neckline with a thin layer of silk going out from a crystal in the center of the bust and out to make a pair of fragile sleeves that covered only my shoulders.
The top of the dress was hugging my curves perfectly, allowing my feminine side to show.
From a carefully placed line around my hips, the fabric loosened bit by bit to end in a mermaid-shaped bottom with a short train.
To the dress, I added a few accessories I had found as well.
One was a silver necklace that ended just above my breasts with a small pendant made of a heart-shaped crystal.
In my hair, I had placed a small hairclip that was also made of silver.
The hairclip was shaped like a small row of flowers that like the mirror had small crystals in it.
I had managed to put up my hair in a way that made it follow the shape of my body in perfect waves.
I smiled at my reflection in the mirror.
"Now the only thing missing is..."
I was cut off by a knock on the door and the voice of a woman.
"Miss Anderson? The masters are waiting for you in the ballroom."
Perfect!
"I will be right there!..."
It's like they know more about me than I do myself.
I thought to myself, as I made my way to the door to meet with the men who were said to be waiting for my arrival.
I was standing by the entrance to the ballroom where the maid had left me.
I found myself being nervous for some reason.
I clenched my fists and bit down on my lip, in an attempt to make the knot in my stomach disappear.
I exhaled deeply and put my hand on the doorknob, while I muttered soothing words to myself.
I finally opened the door and entered the room that I had previously expected to be empty.
This however was not the case here.
Young men and women were dancing and chattering in every corner of the room.
Elegant music was played from an orchestra in the back of the room.
I was pulled aside gently by the waist, by a familiar character.
When I raised my head, I was met by a pair of smiling eyes and a wide grin.
"Y-you can let go of me now, Mason.." I tried.
This only resulted in him pulling me closer as he whispered into my ear.
"Surprised cuppy cakes?" he chuckled softly as his lips brushed my ear gently.
What...?
I twitched a bit in his grip though he wasn't hurting me like this.
I did feel quite uncomfortable by the fact that I knew none of the people in the room and there I was being held tight by a person I could barely call a friend.
"Mason, stop calling me that, please..."
I managed to get out of his embrace without making a scene which actually surprised me a lot.
The grin on his face only widened at my reaction and he spoke again.
"Well, then what may I call the miss?"
He bowed and kissed the back of my hand, allowing his lips to linger on my skin for what seemed like forever.
He was still holding my hand when he stood back up straight, though I didn't seem to care.
He had only kissed my hand but I felt like he had just confessed his love to me.
I lowered my head to hide my flustered face in a hurry as I answered in a somewhat relaxed tone.
"You may call me by my name and my name only. Now if you will excuse me, I think I need some air..."
And with those words, I left him standing there as I made my way through the crowds of chattering and giggling females.
The first thing I did when I got out on the terrace leading to the garden, was take off my shoes.
I looked around to see if anyone was nearby before I walked out on bare feet in the damp grass, taking in a deep breath of the cool air.
I watched as the sky slowly turned darker when the sun disappeared behind the treetops.
My sister and I used to watch the sunset in the evening before we went off to sleep.
We had done so for as long as I could remember.
I would tell her stories and she would braid my hair, much to my protest in the beginning.
I let out a sigh as the memories came flooding back to me.
The look on her face when I told her I had to leave her...
Ara...
A soft voice ripped me out of my sudden depression, bringing me back to the now dark blue sky and the cool wind.
The voice did not sound mad, although the question seemed more like an accusation than anything else.
"What are you doing out here?"