Cordelia

  "Ladies and Gentlemen. May I have your attention please?" Father announced, standing proud and tall at what seems to be a balcony, but inside.

  At the sound of his voice, the chatter amongst the noblemen and women stopped as they all directed their gaze towards father.

  "My dear, esteemed guests from every corner of The Great Empire of Ovarynth—

  It is with the deepest pride and profound joy that I welcome you all tonight, as we celebrate the birth of not one, but two stars in the firmament of House Sylvaris— Cordelia Athenais Sylvaris and Ophelia Thassia Sylvaris.

  From the moment they drew their first breath, they have brought twice the joy, twice the challenge, and more than twice the promise. As children of the house of Sylvaris, they were born beneath a banner of duty, of heritage, and of great expectation. And yet, even among such noble company as we have gathered here tonight, I say without hesitation—they have honored that birthright and elevated it.

  They have grown into women of sharp mind, unwavering spirit, and a grace befitting the finest courts in the realm. Together, they embody the unity and strength this house holds dear—each a reflection of the other, yet strikingly distinct in character and conviction.

  To my daughters: May you never forget the weight of your lineage, nor the lightness of ughter. May your noble hearts always guide you—and may the bond you share, as sisters and as heirs, remain unbroken.

  To all here present—raise your gsses with me.

  To the daughters of House Sylvaris, born of nobility, bound by blood, and destined for greatness. Happy birthday!"

  Everyone cheered and yelled. The room being filled with 'Happy Birthday's as the Duke ended his speech.

  A lot of details in his speech were fake of course. But nobody in this ballroom cares about that.

  Soon, father walked down to mingle with the guests. Me and Ophelia right behind him.

  As soon as we reached the ground floor, we were immediately swarmed by nobles our age, congratuting us once more.

  I smiled and waved at them, but upon recalling what type of person the original Cordelia was, I tried my best to converse with them. Ophelia was by my side, trying to talk to the other noblewomen as well.

  Suddenly, a green-haired man shoved the other nobles aside and strided towards me. With a rose in his hand, he handed them to me and gave a slight bow.

  "To my darling fiance, Happy Birthday." He grinned.

  Ew. So this must be Evander huh.

  I suppose I should keep up appearances, especially since there's a crowd around us.

  I take the rose and gave a smile. "Thank you Evander."

  "My pleasure, my love." He said, then kissed my hand.

  Ew.

  Ew.

  Ew.

  Ew.

  Of course my thoughts weren't reflected on my face... Hopefully. But my hand is quite dirty now.

  "Cordelia, may I have the honor to dance with you ter?" He asked. I sneakily took my handkerchief and wiped my hand.

  "Of course. You are my fiance after all," sadly.

  He grinned, then turned to my side and frowned.

  "Ew. What is this witch doing standing next to you?" His face dispyed an expression of disgust. I sighed, this is quite common between their interactions.

  "Don't call my sister a witch," I gred at him, he looked at me with confusion.

  "What?" He asked, baffled.

  "I said, don't call my sister a witch. On that matter, stop calling my sister offensive names." I stared into his eyes, trying to hint that I was serious.

  He rolled his eyes and huffed. "What the hell happened to you?"

  "It's none of your concern." I answer.

  "Ugh, whatever. I'll come to you ter when it's time to dance." He says, walking off.

  'Charming' one minute, then a jerk in the next. Yep, that's Evander Orion Vasquez alright.

  "You really did change," Ophelia whispered. I look at her and smiled.

  "I told you I wanted to change." I say, my tone cheery. I mean I want to live... I also don't wanna be a bully, but the will to live outweighs that.

  Suddenly, she hugs me. I hug her back. A few seconds ter we seperate.

  "I really hope we can be real sisters, Ophelia." I say. She simply smiled.

  Suddenly, a man with blue hair walks over to us and goes between me and Ophelia. He gred daggers at me.

  "Thassia, is she bothering you?" He asked.

  I'll take my chances and assume this is Cedric Vasquez, her best friend.

  "No she's not... She even defended me against your brother" she says, calming the boy down.

  "What?" He asked, surprised. Ophelia nodded and he slightly lowered his guard down.

  "Anyways... I'm gonna go now Cordelia. This crowd is making me dizzy. See you ter." She said, dragging Cedric away.

  Well now what?

  I look around. My eyes caught something in the corner of the room. It was that person in the garden.

  They were alone. And they were staring at me... With curiosity?

  When they noticed I was looking at them, they grinned. So infuriating.

  I rolled my eyes and walked to their opposite direction. Still can't forget about the fact that they thought I am a liar.

  A few seconds ter, I was swarmed again. I suppose I can just talk to pass the time.

  * * * * * * * * * *

  Evander did as he said and went towards me when it was time for a dance.

  Honestly, I was feeling kind of dizzy, but I needed to dance atleast once. It was 'my' birthday after all.

  We went to the center of the room. There were only four people there- Me and Evander, as well as Ophelia and Cedric.

  Once the music started, our bodies flowed with it. I've never danced before, heck I was awful at dancing... Yet somehow I knew how to do this.

  Maybe it's the body's muscle memory, I don't know. Whatever it is, I'm thankful for it.

  As the dance went on, my head started to hurt even more.

  Then suddenly, I passed out in the middle of the dance.

  The stupid idiot didn't bother catching me as my body fell to the floor.

  Well... Atleast now I have a reason for breaking off the engagement??

  Hiatus_Ashborne