章 2: Chapter 2: Uninvited Intrigue

The grand ballroom shimmered with opulence and whispered secrets as Lucien and Blaise made their entrance. Lucien's senses were acutely aware of the gazes fixed upon them, their intensity varying like the colors of a kaleidoscope.

Among the younger girls, who didn't know who Blaise was, their eyes held a mesmerized glow, and they giggled amongst themselves a he passed by. Even some of the men's stoic demeanor crumbled in the face of Blaise's captivating presence, momentarily dazzled by his charm.

But it was the gaze of those who knew Blaise that sent a shiver down Lucien's spine.

Eyes widened in horror, fear etched upon their faces, they looked shocked by his sudden entrance.

Why? Lucien thought. Blaise is their own family. They could at least pretend to be more civil about it.

One man, Lucien's grandfather, a man Lucien already respected and admired, decided to take on such a a task. He smiled, a figure of wisdom and composure, and walked over to Blaise. He broke the uneasy silence with a hint of surprise in his voice, and said, "Blaise, I didn't see you at the ceremony."

Before Blaise could respond, Marie saw that her son had entered. She gasped; Lucien's father tried to hold her back but she writhed away and stomped her foot at him, so he backed off. Consumed by a surge of raw emotion, Marie stormed across the ballroom floor, her steps echoing loudly now that even the string quartet had stopped to watch. The room watched in breathless anticipation as she approached Blaise, her voice crackling with fury. "That's because he wasn't invited to the ceremony or the reception!"

Before Blaise could respond, Marie raised her hand high in the air.

SLAP!

Marie delivered a resounding slap across Blaise's cheek, the sharp crack ripping through the room, causing gasps of disbelief to ripple through the startled crowd.

Lucien's eyes widened in disbelief. He had never witnessed this side of her before. She had never been especially temperamental, let alone violent! It was like she was so filled with wrath and fury that she had lost all reason.

This was a bad start to their reunion, to say the least.

Stunned, Lucien watched as Blaise, remaining composed despite the assault, slowly raised his head, a faint smile gracing his lips. "Nice to see you, too, Mother," he quipped, eliciting a few uncomfortable laughs from the onlookers. Marie glared at him. "I am sorry for arriving uninvited," he said, looking down his nose at her, anything but apologetic. "I just happened to be in town."

Blaise's words and expression were dripping with insolence. Marie looked like she was going to blow a gasket. Lucien could sense the weight of unspoken history woven into his stepmother's glare.

Marie took a step back, placing her hands on her hips Her voice trembled with a mixture of anger and wounded pride, "You dare show your face here? After all that has happened, after all the pain you've caused?"

The guests, drawn in by the drama unfolding before them, shifted uneasily. Whispers fluttered through the air like restless birds, the room alive with speculation and judgment.

The tension in the ballroom grew palpable as Lucien's mother, her voice strained, pressed on, "Did your wretched uncle Raphael accompany you? Tell me, Blaise! Is that bastard here?" Her gaze pierced through the room, searching for any sign of his presence.

Blaise's eyes flickered with a fleeting darkness, a hint of a painful memory flashing across his features. He remained silent.

Marie didn't miss it, and smiled slyly. "Or, did he kick you out?"

Blaise looked away from his mother.

"Ha!" Marie laughed in his face. "So even he got tired of your antics! Serves you right! What do you suppose you did to him, to make him sick of you?"

Blaise looked wounded, but did not respond.

"So you came here to do what then? Stand there looking sorry for yourself while you ruin my wedding day?"

Blaise's mother, now on the verge of tears, had her hands clenched in fists and looked half-ready to start hitting him again.

Her daughter Maisy touched her mother's arm, but Marie shook it off. "Mother," Maisy said softly, "you'll ruin your makeup."

"It's not worth it," another woman, Marie's sister Lisa, chimed in from Marie's other side.

The other guests, fearing the unraveling of the carefully planned celebration, held their collective breath. Everyone was just waiting to see what would happen next.

Lucien's father, seeking to diffuse the mounting tension, intervened with a measured tone. "Perhaps one of the children can escort Blaise out. It would be best for everyone's comfort."

Family members and guests were nodding, and there was a general murmur of agreement in the crowd.

Troy stepped forward, running a nervous hand through his bright blonde hair, mumbled, "I guess I'll take care of this." He stepped toward Blaise, who raised an eyebrow at him. "Come on, Blaise, let's step out for a minute."

However, Blaise, unyielding, shook his head, his eyes sparkling mischievously. "But it's a party, after all. I'd like to dance, to revel in the festivities."

The guests were murmuring again, and Marie's angry tears were threatening to spill over.

"Blaise, don't be like this," Troy said in a hushed voice. "You're messing everything up. Come on, you know you weren't invited."

Blaise put his hands on his hips and said, "I'm her son, so I should've been."

A collective discomfort washed over the guests, their eyes darting between Blaise and Marie, uncertain of how to respond to the sudden turn of events. Lucien also was unsure of what to do. Blaise wasn't invited, that much was clear, but what was the reason? Was it only that he was different than them?

Different in the same way I am, Lucien thought, a pang of sympathy hitting him. He couldn't let Blaise be mistreated by them, but it was also clear he couldn't remain at the wedding. Lucien knew what to do.

As the charged atmosphere within the ballroom threatened to suffocate them, Lucien stepped a little closer to Blaise and said, "Let us take a walk in the gardens, Blaise. Once the cake is cut, the festivities will spill outside naturally. Besides, I would like to get to know you better, given that we are to become brothers."

Blaise jerked his face up towards Lucien's, eyes wide with a mix of horror and realization.

Lucien held back a smile. Blaise must have been thinking back to less than five minutes ago, when he offered Lucien his body.

Blaise now said quietly, "Now that you mention it, I do see the resemblance between you and the groom..." He trailed off into a thoughtful silence.

In the ballroom, an air of anticipation lingered, the guests holding their breath, awaiting Blaise's response.

"Well? What do you say? Shall we step out for a moment?" Lucien smiled at Blaise.

Blaise looked into his eyes, thin eyebrows furrowed. He looked around him once more time, then with a cooler, almost snobbish expression, said, "Fine."

The room collectively exhaled as Blaise, albeit hesitantly, accepted the invitation, allowing himself to be led away by Lucien from the tumultuous scene.