The Baroness Misbehaves
Chapter 84: A Mysterious Guest (1)

Chapter 84: A Mysterious Guest (1)

"You’re not as poor as I predicted for someone who just started learning the dance." Commented Cassian as he still helped her with the steps, and that brought a proud smile to her lips to hear she wasn’t doing hundred percent bad.

"Then I’m guessing I’m not as stiff as I have imagined myself to be." Out of mere instinct, both her hands linked themselves around his neck and she asked. "How did you learn to dance like this? You never gave the impression of someone who would take dance lessons."

Madeline asked out of pure curiosity, and her curiosity was, however, justified.

"There are a lot of things I do that don’t fit the impression I give, which is why I don’t do them." He clarified, and that only piqued Madeline’s interest to know what else he was capable of doing other than being a skilled dancer.

"But how did you learn?"

"Inna’s maestro was into teaching the famous dance, and I was forced to take lessons since Inna was still the height of a canned beer to do so herself."

Cassian hadn’t really thought much about his childhood before he turned into a rogue, and talking like this, he was reminded after a long time that he did take such etiquettes seriously.

As the music drew to a close, Cassian pulled Madeline closer, his arms encircling her waist. She looked up into his eyes that were blindfolded, and it made her wonder if the feeling she felt right now would be different if she looked into his eyes instead.

It brought a sense of anticipation, yet Madeline was still nervous about his eyes that hadn’t recovered yet.

When the music stopped, Cassian pulled back like how a gentleman would after dancing with a lady. He bowed before the lady who in return curtsied at his gesture.

"Can we share another dance like this in the future?" Asked Madeline as she waited for the young lad’s response.

"That depends on the occasion." He answered. "But I don’t mind if it comes with an exception." Once again, he hit her with a subtle response that Madeline failed to grasp the meaning of.

"That was AMAZING!!" Inna hurried over to Madeline’s side, holding her two hands in excitement. "You did great!"

Elaine, who stood at the entrance with the happy Frederick, smiled with an eased heart after seeing everyone look happy with themselves. This was the type of love she wanted to see in her family, and she felt lucky to be alive to witness it.

The rest of the day went by with Madeline going through the rest of the processes.

Orson and Cassian weren’t available for the whole afternoon, and preparations for the celebration were effortlessly carried out. The whole list of arrangements were thoroughly monitored to ensure everything was in order, and no one could risk making a single mistake.

In the evening after dinner, Madeline practiced the dance once more to make sure she had gotten it right, and surprisingly, all she had to do was imagine herself dancing it with Cassian and getting lost from the tingling feeling of his touch.

He was the only thing that occupied her thoughts this past few days.

The next day, those who were related to the Albrecht family showed up earlier than the rest of the guests, and when it was finally time for the event, the guests started to arrive with all sorts of magnificent carriages parked at the patio of the Albrecht’s home.

The night sky was a picturesque with stars peeking from their dark home. The carriages had their own natural glow as everyone descended from it and moved to the entrance of the mansion.

In one of those carriages, a stunning youthful-looking red-haired man also approached the Albrecht mansion as he got down from his carriage. He was well-dressed in a Raven-colored shirt and trouser.

He casually put on his fur coat to compliment his dressing before letting a smug smile paint his pale lips.

His leaf-green colored eyes shifted from left to right as though wondering if his presence would raise suspicion, and it did, except it wasn’t the type that would leave him alarmed.

Due to his strikingly-handsome presence, it didn’t take too much effort for all eyes to shift to where he stood as he composedly made his way through the concrete path. He stood before the buffman who was nicely dressed as well, yet carried a no-nonsense expression on his face.

"Invitation?"

The young man slipped his hand into his pocket, bringing out his invitation card and handing it out to the buffman to take a look. The buffman went through the invitation card before granting him access into the mansion.

Walking through the entryway, his unfathomable gaze swept through the building while ignoring the ogles he got from women or other ladies that whispered and murmured behind his back.

"Who is this fine gentleman?" One of the lady’s questioned her fellow guest who also had no idea who the mysterious man was. "It’s the first time I’m seeing such an new face in the upper East quarters."

"He must be a relative of the Albrecht family, the Albrecht family tend to have a lot of good genes. Take Lord Cassian and his sister for example."

"Is he single? I should meet up with the Duke soon to confirm!"

Despite giving him the blatant stares, none of them were brave enough to approach him as his aura already gave enough red signs that warned them to keep away.

Meanwhile, the red-haired man paid no attention to the words he heard, and his main goal tonight was to accomplish three things, the first one, is saying Hello to Cassian.

Smiling at his own thoughts, he stepped into the magnificent ballroom.

~~~~

In the room, Madeline had put on the dress she got with the aid of Adeline and two other servants.

Standing in front of the full-length mirror, the dim light casted a soft glow on her delicate features, and Madeline’s eyes widened at the outcome of her appearance.

Her charcoal-black-colored hair was styled in elegant curls that cascaded down her back, and she wore a stunning ball gown that hugged her curves perfectly.

The gown was a pale shade of rose, with a fitted bodice that flared out into a full skirt that reached the floor. Layers of tulle and lace peeked out from the hem, adding an ethereal touch to the already mesmerizing dress.

Madeline ran her fingers over the intricate beading that adorned the bodice and traced the delicate embroidery that highlighted the dress. A long strand of pearls hung around her neck, a simple yet elegant addition that complemented the dress perfectly.

As she turned to take in the full effect, the rustle of the fabric echoed through the room, a sweet symphony of glamor and sophistication.

Adeline and the two servants silently exited the room when Cassian stepped in. Unbeknownst to Madeline, the young lad continued to watch her as she admired herself in the mirror.

"Your hands are magic Adeline!" She praised the woman who was no longer in the room. "I can barely recognize myself."

She smiled. "And this dress, I like it very much! The seamstress handled the layers of the gown so perfectly! You need to tell me where...."

Turning around to look at Adeline, Madeline’s heart nearly flew from her chest after spotting Cassian who leaned against the wall, watching her with those sparking Amber-brown eyes and she blushed embarrassedly, wondering how long he stood here.

"You’re here??"

"It’s my room, why do you sound surprised to see me here?"

"But Adeline and...."

"I told them to leave." He caught her response short while taking unhurried stride’s to where Madeline stood. His eyes raked the young woman from head to toe before his lips curved into satisfaction.

"The dress suits you." He complimented, and Madeline’s smile broadened after hearing his positive comments on the dress.

"Thank you, I was going to ask where__" and then she paused as though she was missing something. She didn’t notice at first but Cassian shouldn’t be able to see her dress since he hasn’t healed completely, so how can he tell if it suits her or not?

Her eyes narrowed into a suspicious slit and she waved her hand and at his face. He raised a brow at her, silently asking what she was doing, and Madeline bristled back in shock and bewilderment as she clasped her hand over mouth to dismiss her scream.

"You...you can see???"

"Doesn’t it appear so?" He quizzed back, and Madeline barely knew what else to say as she instantly felt overwhelmed by the unforeseen news.

Unable to express her joy, Madeline screamed with glee as she threw herself in his arms, unable to contain the excitement and the hug wasn’t one of the things Cassian saw coming.

"Maddie.."

Noticing she had startled him, she quickly pulled back. "I’m sorry, I’m just...how did it happen? When? Why didn’t you tell me? And I was so worried that..."

"Shh...calm down we can talk about this all through the night once the event is over." He knew she was going to be excited the minute he told her, but he never expected her to be this excited.

It surprised him in a really good way.

"Are you ready to make the grand entrance? Little wife?"

Madeline smiled to herself, a sense of pride and confidence bubbling up inside of her.

She was ready for anything. Ready to dance the night away, ready to mingle with the social elite, and most importantly, ready to be the belle of the ball.