“you’re sjöfn.” a smile teased his lips, the rim of the glass breaching the part so he could consume more of his drink. his stare remained on her interested stance, peering out from the corners of his eyes. he made the woman wait, slowly indulging in the cup of liquor until the glass was entirely clean. only then, did he speak again.
“he keeps his private life to himself, leaving some parts to the imagination. he didn’t mention you would be here, and it looks like he’s convinced of it too.”
gustav sat across the room in a drunken stupor, his voice booming against the walls of the room as he told stories of his past escapades. bill had heard them all, some intensely exaggerated to fulfill gustav’s need for superiority.
“you look like you don’t belong,” his voice brought sjöfn out of her focus, tearing her attention away from her fiancé. the statement was set plainly, but there was no malicious twist in his voice or features.
“that’s a good thing. better than any of the drunkards or the frigid women who can’t go a second without spreading rumors. freja can talk anyone’s head off.”
and on that cue, the two found themselves being scrutinized by the crowd of overly-extravagant dresses. a chuckle was elicited from the coincidence, bill not at all surprised with the stories that were bound to arise from the interaction. instead of finding his place back with the other noblemen, he set down his glass, replacing it as he took sjöfn’s hand in his.
“no one is out on the terrace. we could give them something to talk about, hm?”
She felt her eyes brightened as he mentioned his name as if he knew every part of her. He became clearer in her eyes and she was able to see more of his features. Her face became warmer and warmer by the second. It was the first time she ever felt this way to someone. When she first met Gustav, she didn’t even feel as if the man would devour her.
With the way he was acting, Sjöfn could already tell that he was full of passion. It was not like Gustav has lack of passion, he just has a different definition of it. As the man talked about Gustav, her attention was all to him. It was not even the fact that he was talking about her betrothed that made her listen to him intently. Even laced with alcohol, his words made sense.
The only time she has met with her betrothed was when he was introducing her to everyone like a trophy. She didn’t think much about it, but it seemed that because of her presence, people started to swarm around. That was when she ended up by the table near the wall. For a graceful lady like her, it was ironic. Her gaze landed at Gustav’s direction then back to the man.
When he invited her to join him at the terrace, she raised an eyebrow at him and gave him a mischievous smile. “Well, before I go with you, isn’t it a bit unfair that you know my name and I don’t know yours.” She was sure that the nearby ladies who had been murmuring was watching them. Then she looked at them and smiled. She could feel the embarrassment from them as they decided to join the others.
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