Chaos Dinner
1475 Words
"Lady Isabella, which jewelry set did you want to wear today?"
I was lost in my own thoughts when one of the omegas, who worked as a maid for me, called my name. She held a tray with four sets of jewelry—necklaces, earrings, and rings—in different styles and colors.
"Hmm," I quietly murmured. These four pieces were gifts from Belmont for my engagement. I didn't really feel like wearing them because it would bother me, but I had to say yes since I was still a guest in this house.
I pointed to one of the sets and said, "I'll go with this one."
Evony, the maid, looked surprised when she saw my choice. "But, Lady, this jewelry doesn't match with your outfit tonight."
"So?" I replied.
"Y-Yes?" Evony blinked, confused and stumbling over her words.
I sighed and took the necklace from Evony's tray. It had a big silver werewolf pendant with a ruby eye. It did not really go with my blue dress for dinner tonight. But, who cares?
I didn't care about Adrian or what he liked anymore. Plus, if this jewelry was meant as an engagement gift, I might as well pick the most expensive one. Maybe I could sell it later and use the money to silence Adrian’s mouth forever.
"Just put it on. I'm almost late for dinner."
"Alright, Lady."
Evony stopped arguing and assisted me in wearing all the jewelry. It was so shiny and bright that I felt like a kid getting ready for a carnival.
I smiled a little as I saw my reflection in the mirror. It's good, just the way I wanted.
I did not wait long. I got up, put on my fancy silver heels, and headed for the door. Evony did not come with me. She had to stay there to clean up the makeup table and my room.
But I was fine on my own. Even though I was a guest, I knew this place like the back of my hand for half of my life.
"Lady,"
"Lady Isabella."
"May the Moon Goddess bless you, Lady."
As I walked down the hallway, every person I passed greeted me respectfully. I nodded back at them before continuing. I could see surprise on their faces—either they were shocked thinking I was dead out there after the kidnapping news, or surprised to see me confidently striding with a big werewolf pendant around my neck, showing how big the pendant was.
"Lady Isabella, you're back."
My steps stopped as I reached the door to the dining hall, precisely because of the man in front of me.
Sean Aldrich, Adrian's trusted butler also serving as Beta. He glanced at the necklace around my neck for a moment but didn't say anything, he maintaining a thin smile on his pale face.
He seemed quiet and obedient, but I had a bad feeling about him. Hmm, maybe because he was Adrian's subordinate, so I was too suspicious of him.
"Yes, I'm back," I replied. "Is everyone already in the dining hall?"
Sean nodded, then opened the door for me. "Everyone is present, Lady. Please, come in."
The six-meter-high door opened with a single push, making me squint briefly to adjust to the light entering the dark corridor where I stood. Once the door was open, another room appeared. A dining hall with large chandeliers in the middle of the room, and maids and cooks lined up on the edges of the room to witness tonight's dinner event. Tonight's dinner was laid out from end to end of the table like a giant gourmet feast, with various foods and expensive drinks.
If ordinary people saw this, they would probably say it was too much and grand, but it was a normal dinner for Eclipse.
"Ah! You've arrived, my daughter—wait, your necklace is a bit... oh, never mind. No need to fuss, you're still my most beautiful and charming princess. Come here, sit beside your mother."
As soon as I stepped into the dining hall, my mother's voice echoed so loudly that it diverted almost all the attention of the core members of the Eclipse alliance, who were gathering to eat in the room.
I sighed quietly but responded to my mother's call with a faint smile, not wanting to attract too much attention—it's annoying.
"Mother," I replied shortly. Without waiting any longer, I walked towards where my mother was, and the area of the table that had been reserved for the Hawthorn family.
Besides our family, there were three other families, making a total of four core founding families of the Eclipse pack alliance, each with their own influence and role.
Next to the Hawthorn family, there was the dining table area belonging to the Birchfield family, who were the backbone of Eclipse in healing, and the werewolf strength. The Birchfield family specialized in healing. Meanwhile, across from the Birchfield table was the special area belonging to the Bayswater family, responsible for being the strongest shield of the alliance. They were known for their sturdy wolf bodies that were hard to defeat and were very strong even in tough or dangerous environments.
Lastly, there was the Belmont family table area.
After I sat in my own place, I glanced up and saw the dining table area across from the Hawthorn family. They were one of the four main pillars, and the leaders of the alliance and Alpha pack in turn came from the Belmont family. However, not all of the Belmont family had arrived here yet, as shown by several empty seats.
As I watched everyone at tonight's dinner, suddenly my gaze collided with one of them—the first daughter of the Birchfield family. Vivienne Birchfield.
Vivienne is the next in line to lead the Birchfield family and she was a she-wolf with the most effective healing powers. She was also my playmate when I was stuck in the mansion with the tedious class schedules and training, as Vivienne shares a similar fate with me.
Being the family heir and carrying a heavy burden on her shoulders, I indirectly admired Vivienne and could talk about a few things with her.
"Sister," Vivienne whispered, almost like a mouth gesture, but I could clearly hear the words of the younger girl a few years my junior.
I nodded briefly and returned her smile.
Creeeaaaaaaak—
The sound of the door opening again diverted my attention and the attention of the people in the dining hall. From the door, the remaining Belmont family entered one by one and became the center of attention.
I leaned my cheek on my hand, staring at them with a tired and bored expression—seriously, did they think they were the main characters in this world? Intentionally coming late and making their arrival the main course.
However, the most disgusting thing of all was the couple who came in last.
"They are here."
"Psssst – don't talk too loud, Lady Isabella is here."
"Why though? Wasn't she removed from her position as the Luna candidate? We don't need to show respect to her anymore."
"Eh? You're right."
"Besides, look at Alpha Adrian and his fiancée. Don't they look good together?"
"Well... if you really look closely, yes. But I don't want humans standing above me later."
"Y-You're right."
These whispers were just a small part of the conversations in this dining hall, caused by the arrival of the two.
Yes, Adrian Belmont and Lillian Grace. They both arrived last, wearing matching outfits – Adrian in a black suit, and Grace in a knee-length black dress with glitter around the waist, while her blonde hair flowed freely.
"Sit here, Grace."
"Thank you, Ian."
Tch–seriously, are they deliberately trying to provoke me?
There were still plenty of empty seats at this long table, but the couple chose to sit right across from me. Adrian pulled out a chair for Grace and acted sweetly towards her. I was not jealous at all. In fact, I felt nauseous watching the two of them. But I had to maintain my dignity as the heir of the Hawthorn family and behave in an elegant manner.
"Bella, happy to see you back," said George Belmont, leader of the Eclipse alliance, as he spoke from the chair at the end of the table.
"Thank you for your concern, Uncle George," I replied.
"I heard you were kidnapped by other werewolves. Do you recognize their pack sigil?" he asked.
I shook my head. "Sorry, Uncle, but both of them wore black clothes without any pack symbols, so I don't know which pack they belong to."
"Really? Are you not just pretending that you were kidnapped?" Adrian interrupted, wearing a scornful expression.
I furrowed my brow in annoyance. "What did you just say?"
- Writer
