It felt like lightning had struck Elain's body.
She involuntarily lifted her gaze in surprise upon hearing the familiar voice, and her blood ran cold.
No… this is not happening.
She had been lucky enough to avoid trouble all these years while staying in the capital. And suddenly, she was face to face with a disaster!
The man in front of her, whom she was certain was Rafelius Greyford, turned out to be the man she had nursed in the cottage a week ago, the same man she had a ridiculous encounter with in Lilymist a few days back, and also the one who had fed her dried apricot outside the ballroom earlier! And if she might add, she had not been on her best behavior with him. Not that he had been either, but still.
"The girl doesn't mean any offense, Mr. Greyford. It is because she is shy and timid and hasn't been used to meeting people," said Cynthia.
Why didn't she realize it? The Greyfords were known for their strange grey eyes, and she had seen Lark Greyford earlier, whom she now realized bore a resemblance to the man in front of her.
"A-apologies, milord," Elain muttered, looking Rafelius straight in the eye, her heart pounding hard.
"Shy and timid, you say?" Rafelius tilted his head slightly, amusement evident in his silver eyes.
Elain could almost hear his thoughts. With their past encounters and how boldly she had spoken to him, she knew he was finding it funny.
Well, she could be shy, but in most situations she only acted that way and kept her thoughts to herself, as she had been instructed to do.
But her usual restrained nature hadn't been exactly restrained in her encounters with the man, as he had his way of getting under her skin.
"Surely you can forgive her, Mr. Greyford," Amber, who was standing among the small crowd surrounding Rafelius, took the chance to be noticed. "Elain has been sickly since childhood, so she doesn't usually leave the house nor attend society events. In fact, it is her first time joining Halcyon. You can imagine how intimidating it is."
Rafelius didn't spare Amber a glance, and his gaze remained on Elain.
Elain saw the question in his eyes, but she felt too stifled to even think of what was on his mind.
She averted her gaze, embarrassment crawling on her skin. At this point, he must know she had lied about her name, if he even remembered the fake name she had given him. And she was mortified at being caught.
More importantly, she was worried about the way she had acted around him without knowing he was someone of the highest status in Liandel.
She should have been more careful! She knew from the man's demeanor that he was of the upper class, but she hadn't thought he was on the level of the Greyfords.
She was foolish. Utterly foolish. How could she get away from this mess?
"Sickly?" Rafelius questioned. "If you don't mind indulging my curiosity, what kind of sickness has befallen you, Lady Elain?"
Elain's palms turned sweaty. She looked at him, silently praying to the gods that he would stop causing her trouble by paying attention to her.
The other people were also looking at her now, as if wondering why the eldest young master of the Greyford estate was interested in the plight of a dull-looking lady from who-knows-where.
Before Elain could speak for herself, Cynthia said, "She was born with a weak body, Mr. Greyford, so it's easier for her to catch illnesses than most people. Of course, with the guidance of a physician, I allowed her to join this year's Halcyon with a promise from her not to strain herself too much with the festivities. Thank you for your concern."
Elain was sure Rafelius didn't ask out of concern, but she didn't say anything nor let her face give away her thoughts.
She kept a straight face, schooling her expression into modesty as she always did. There were no traces of the agitated young woman she had been earlier outside the ballroom, she made sure of it.
An older lady started telling Rafelius about her daughter, and Elain thought she would finally be freed from the man's scrutiny.
"Mr. Greyford, this is my daughter Cresilda. She is very good at playing the pianoforte—"
"Perhaps your niece's weak body is caused by a lack of proper nutrition, Lady Cynthia," he said, completely ignoring the older lady, which made the woman step away with her cheeks reddening in embarrassment.
Cynthia smiled. "I assure you, I supervise her meals myself, so she eats nutritious food every day." Deciding it was the best time to conclude the conversation, she added, "Thank you for having us here tonight, Mr. Greyford. We won't take much of your time, as we know the other guests are eager to speak with you. Please excuse us."
Elain and Rory offered a bow, and when Elain lifted her head, she saw Rafelius watching her with a look she found hard to read.
He wasn't smirking or smiling, nor was there a trace of amusement in his grey eyes. He didn't look annoyed either, but there was something so unnerving in the way he stared at her.
Meanwhile, at the entrance of the ballroom, Matheu Everard had just arrived. His gaze fell on the group of people surrounding Rafelius. He walked toward them with the intention of greeting the host, and while doing so, he didn't fail to notice a familiar young woman. She was walking away from the group, along with the family he was familiar with. The Blythmors.
"The presence of that man gives me chills," Rory said to Elain as they walked farther away from Rafelius Greyford. "Did you feel it too?"
"Stop the nonsense," Cynthia reprimanded in a low but firm voice. "You will not speak another word about it."
The dancing continued after most guests had offered their respects to the eldest Greyford. Rory stayed with Elain for half an hour, gossiping about the lives of other guests before she suddenly vanished from her side. Her Aunt Cynthia was in the distance, conversing with people, though she glanced around from time to time, keeping an eye on her daughter and niece.
Elain wasn't sure, though, if her aunt could still see Rory, as her cousin had vanished from her sight.
While the merriment continued as the night deepened, she stood in a shadowy corner with another glass of untouched lemonade. She already had two glasses and had her fill, and she didn't want another trip to the bathroom that night.
As her eyes wandered around the dance floor, she didn't see Rafelius Greyford and was relieved he was nowhere near.
"Looking for someone?" someone suddenly spoke beside her, which made her almost spill her drink on herself.
"I'm sorry, I did not mean to startle you," Matheu said with a charming smile.