บท 23: Fiancé

"Happy Birthday to you~" came the singing voice of the guests circling around the birthday kids.

"Leevi, Valentin, Emilié, blow the candles out now and wish something." Said Sasha.

The triplets standing next to each other blew the candles on the cake by Sasha's word and the cake was cut and served to the guests by the servants.

The children were brought to the other part where the adults were; for the highlight of the birthday, cake and gifts to conclude today's main part.

While Emilié is having a slice for herself, she felt some uncomfortable stares around her. It's like she was being watched, she had not noticed it before, but now, that the whole hustle bustle was over, she heard some whispers going around.

It was those adults gossiping about her this time.

"Hey, is that not the girl who only brings misfortune wherever she goes, the youngest daughter of the Evans!?"

"Yeah it is, I saw her once. Even when she was a baby she was eerie, with her black hair which is different then her parents and that gloomy air around her. But the most scary thing is, she never cried or talked!" Said one of the older woman knowingly, even through she saw Emilié only once when she was small.

She based all her 'knowledge' on the rumors she heard from others.

And a mother took his cake eating son by the ear saying shrilly and quietly "Marc, how could you play with her!"

It was one of Leevi's older friends who played with Emilié on the bouncy castle. "B-But mom, Leevi wanted us to play with her and did you not say we have to follow Leevi and always make him happy. I didn't want to play with her I had to!"

Just a while ago he was laughing and talking with Emilié, but right now he became a meek mice in front of his mother.

"Well, if it was young master Leevi's wish then it's ok, but NEVER do that on your own volition! You heard me young man!"

"Y-Yes mother!"

They tried to talk quietly but it still fell on Emilié's ear, seems like their voices were not quiet enough. In the end Emilié lost her appetite.

Great, not only Valentin ruined her day but those superficial adults too with their narrow mindness.

Could she not for once be undisturbed by anyone and have a nice day?

After the cake came the gifts, so the birthday kids opened some gifts and politely thanked those guests whose gift they opened. Since, there were to many gifts, they couldn't open all of them even with the combined force of three.

Gratifyingly, the gift unpacking went uneventful, no one gave any side comments or weird glances, they put on their perfect masks with the buisness smile, but with Emilié's ruined mood she had no interest in this birthday party anymore.

Now the cake was eaten and the gifts unpacked, the children were brought back to their part of the ballroom, for them not to be bored by the adults dull interactions.

Everyone, the children, Leevi and Valentin went back, but Emilié sneaked away behind the table of her grandfather and leaned there on the wall. That place was the spot with less people, so she could hide the rest of the time there without being noticed.

How good, she was so small with her short height, no one would notice she was there.

Mr.Evans was sitting with his friend old Seven on the table, they were talking about some light topics like the food and some funny stories that happened in the past, when suddenly the conversation topic changed and it became serious between them.

"So, did you think about my offer?" Started Mr.Evans, sipping on his wine.

"Clyde, you know we both need this connection, but this is too much from you to ask me for!" Chided old Seven dissatisfied.

Emilié's ears perked up by the atmosphere change of the both, she felt slightly uncomfortable eavesdropping but curiosity got the best of her; she stood still where she was and listened to their conversation.

"Hmm?" Mr.Evans glanced at old Seven from the corner of his eye. "To. Much." He stretched.

"Seven, you know in what point we both stand right now! Silverlight Entertainment is climbing too fast the ladder and whoever is backing them up, we both alone, are no hindrance for them. So we are forced to combine our households and the best possible way is to do that with a marriage."

"I know that" hissed old Seven back. "Damn it! We should have capped off the sprouts path before they had had the chance to bloom! Who'd know that an entertainment business dipped themselves in my weapon dealings and is trying to creep into your military businesses. Silverlight hid too deeply and now or positions are slowly being threatened. For now the Glory entertainment company of your daughter-in-laws family gives us an advantage, so we don't lose foot yet."

"Indeed, that is the case." Mr.Evans nodded with acknowledgment. "They laid back for five years and jumped out from nowhere threatening to devour us. We only don't know how long we can hold on our place in K country if this continues, maybe ten years or less..."

But..." Said old Seven with a grumpy ton disrupting his friends thinking process. "Why do I have to wed my only grandson to that invalid¹ grandchild of yours?" He gripped his wine glass hard until the glass had fine cracks on its surface.

At the beginning of their conversation, when they talked about illegal weapon dealings and dipping on military businesses, which was not much more legal than the other what so ever; Emilié got cold sweat dripping on her back.

Really lucky, really lucky, that she was a child still green behind her ears in front of an adult. But she should really go now, even when they wouldn't do anything to her, when they notice that she heared everything; she had no desire to have a confrontation with them.

She may now be a five-year-old, but her face would show off the panic she felt right now and that would become suspicious when they saw it.

She was about to go back, when she heard them switch back the topic to marriage between those two family households, that included her as the main part.

"If we combine our households, Valentin would be a better candidate as the fiancé of Kyle and the future head mistress² of my family." Said old Seven adamant.

Truly, what should he do with a granddaughter-in-law who can't speak or act how she is told.

How could Emilié contribute to his Grandfield household, other than being able to mother his grandsons children? Every walking woman outside can do this, there is nothing special on Emilié other than her looks, but again, there were enough women with good looks.

No, Emilié, she was the complete opposite then those woman, she only brought gloominess and misfortune, nothing that old Seven needs.

His grip on the glass became stronger and it broke in his hand.

Emilié witnessing this scene, jumped lightly up and pressed herself tightly on the wall, breathing slowly in and out, thinking if she'd do that, old Seven wouldn't have the wish right know to wring her neck and shove her back into the womb of her mother; forbidding her to be born. How could this imbecile hinder his grandson's path?

Old Seven grew angrier the more he thought about it. "And don't think I don't know that this girl is cursed. How could a child have features unlike their parents? It is not uncommon, but she looks like the dead. Just like Emil.

If she isn't cursed then what!"

Mr.Evans who stayed cool and composed the whole time just sneered at old Seven. "Hmpf, even when we are threatened by Silverlight, I can easily marry my granddaughters to some other influential people, I am not bond by you. And you, Ha! You have weapons but no people to sell to, if I don't distribute them within my channels no one would buy them from you! Be aware, I have a line of weapon dealers who would love to replace you, so there is no room for negotiation."

Old Seven was mad huffing loudly, but he could only grid his teeth and accept Emilié as Kyle's fiancé. "Then it's Emilié"

One hearing this would wonder if those two were really old friends, Mr.Evans was ruthless to old Seven, not giving him any possibility to step back, only able to forcefully go with the flow of the other; what tyranny.

He wanted Emilié be the marriage partner of old Seven's grandchild, because she was disposable in his mind and the best pawn to use.

Never would he let his beloved Valentin do something she would not want in the future. He will give her the freedom to decide her own marriage partner.

Emilié's mood went colder with Mr.Evans decision, she knew what went on in the mind of this profit obsessed man. She sees how he treats the both granddaughters differently.

No, from the day she came to the Evans mansion she was never seen as a granddaughter by him. She was from the start a disposable pawn.

Having heared enough, Emilié returned back to the part of the ballroom where the children were.

She initially started this day with a happy mood, being cheery and minding her own things, but one after the other was able to ruin it for her.

'sigh'

She didn't believe, now with her bad mood, that anyone could make her day worser than it already was.

Oh wei Emilié

How wrong she could be. This was only the appetizer of what fate's game had planned for her, the real spectacle still awaited her and would crush her broken soul to pieces.