Shiqi smiled at her success as she walked out of the large room, followed by her maid.
Her mother had told her that by highlighting her virtues, she would attract the Lords’ attention. It was why she had initially planned that she would talk about Mira and her achievements.
But then her maid, Molly, had strongly advised her to do the opposite, saying that men grew bored when women talked too much about themselves.
And since her mother clearly only had her father as an example, while Molly had every man in the palace wrapped around her finger, Shiqi had suspected that her mother’s method was likely not the more effective one.
With that in mind, she had done a little experiment. She had chosen to follow her mother’s instructions tonight, listing her achievements and speaking proudly of her abilities.
And it had worked. Just not in the way her parents had probably intended.
As she watched Lord Kalyn’s eyes almost glaze over from listening to her long explanations,she knew she had succeeded. They were irritated and certainly not interested, and not impressed with her.
This was exactly what she had wanted. If they were this bored already, then they would definitely not want to be her fated mate. Now, it was time for the next part of the plan. That was to make Mira be attracted to them and vice versa.
She sighed. How was she supposed to do that if Mira was going to avoid them? It seemed of all the times Mira had decided to listen to her mother, it had to be this time and she had chosen to hide.
But Shiqi had already done her research. She was not someone who left things to chance or trust her father’s word that he would not force her. Her mother would not dare to say anything without her father’s tacit permission. Which meant that whatever her father said about not forcing her were words meant to only pacify her.
Now, however the problem was Mira. She had thought that with Mira’s carefree personality acting as a contrast, they three lords would definitely be attracted to her. But Mira was now taking her mother’s orders and hiding.
Changing direction, she leaned close to Molly and murmured something quickly into the maid’s ear. Molly nodded at once and slipped away toward Shiqi’s room.
Meanwhile, Shiqi lifted her dress slightly and marched toward the kitchen, determined to find Mira and get her to be on her side. Mira was too innocent. She would definitely not be able to escape them.
As her mind was busy turning over possibilities, she so distracted that she failed to notice the person coming directly toward her. She walked straight into him with enough force to make her stumble back, almost landing on her a** and her nose sting.
Before she could hit the floor, a pair of strong arms came around her, stopping her fall. She drew in a sharp breath and looked up, her heart thudding wildly. Those eyes... eyes that had been imprinted on her soul since the first time she saw him were staring right into hers.
Aron. Aron was here.
Her heart began to beat faster for an entirely different reason now. This was the first time she had ever felt Aron’s hands on her. His hand rested on her lower back, steadying her, and she could sense its strength even through the layers of her dress. For a brief moment, she regretted not wearing something thinner, something that would have let her feel the warmth of his hand more clearly.
Her breath caught as he slowly helped her straighten up, his hold gentle and careful. She could barely think, barely breathe, as she stood there with his touch still lingering on her skin, sending her thoughts spinning in all the wrong directions.
"Aron. What are you doing here?"
He gave her a small lift of lips that could not be considered a smile and said," I was invited for the gathering."
Shiqi felt her heart race but also felt a bit sad. Over the years, Aron had changed a lot. He had started to smile a lot less and for some reason, he insisted on keeping a distance from her. There were times that he would avoid her so well that by the time she knew he had come, he’d be long gone.
She gave him a hesitant smile," Aron. I know you were invited. What I meant was why are you hovering around the kitchen? Shouldn’t you be inside..."
But even as she said the words, her own happiness at being close to him vanished. What was he doing near the kitchen? Of course he was here to meet the person she had come looking for. Mira.
Her heart clenched! Why did he value Mira so much? Even now, instead of meeting all those rich people who could be of his use, the first thing he did upon arriving was to look for Mira. What was so special about her that everytime he was here, he went searching for her.
"Aron..." She began slowly. Impulsively, she had already decided that she would confess her feelings to him right away. But before she could say more, he cut her off," Shiqi. I have to go somewhere. If you were looking for Mira, she is not in the kitchen. So, you can avoid the place and look somewhere else."
Shiqi nodded, her heart aching. That is all he would speak to her about? About Mira? But then as he walked a little further away, and stopped, Shiqi felt her heart flutter. Did he finally notice her specially prepared dress? Was he going to compliment her now?
But instead, he said," If you find Mira, tell her to meet me at our usual place tomorrow before breakfast. Okay?"
Shiqi deflated like a balloon. Our usual place? She knew what he meant but she wanted to scream. There was nowhere ’her’ in that our. That was the place where Aron and Mira spent all their time together while she was always ignored.