章節 79: First Date
Veronica didn't really want to admit it, but she was really excited. After she and Michael decided to go out, she became much more energetic.
She spent a good while talking with Suze about what to wear, and they both recognized a problem. Her wardrobe was quite empty of choices, other than the dress she wore for her ascension, there was nothing else she could wear.
Another issue was the lack of every basic necessity she required to elevate her looks.
She didn't own any jewelry, make-up, cosmetics, perfumes, or anything else that was used by women.
With nothing else to do, she went out and spent the whole day acquiring such items and buy a few new dresses, but as she was about to leave the inn, James quickly stopped her.
Without a word he took Sera's hand and pressed about 150 gelt worth of banknotes inside. Her eyes widened from surprise and she was about to object, when James spoke.
"Don't try to reject it since it's not coming from me. This is the payment Alex left for you... For your help." Sera looked at the money, like it was about to bite her. She felt a bit disgusted by the idea of getting payed for murder.
Suddenly her eyes snapped to James in bewilderment. Only now did she realized another important part of the sentence.
"Did Alex go away? Why?" James just sighed and looked towards the window. His voice sounded a bit mournful and filled with regret.
"He should've went away days ago, but a few things kept him here a bit longer and eventually the murders came. Now that those are solved as well, he finally left port!"
Veronica watched his facial expression careful, not missing the furrowing of his eyebrows when he talked about Alex leaving. She only had to think for a few moments before she said in a whisper...
"He went after Sierra, didn't he?" James looked at her with sorrowful eyes.
"Yes... Yes he did... You have to know him, to fully understand why he had done so... He also told me to say 'thank you'." Said James. As an answer Veronica just nodded and walked outside.
Her mood took quite the dive when she learnt about Alex. She still wanted to ask a lot of questions since he seemed much more well-versed than Suze, but it seemed like she had to wait another few weeks for that.
For a moment she looked towards the dark gray sky. For the past few days the Sun was hidden behind the dark layers. Suze said this was usual for these mid autumn times, but Veronica felt something strange in the air...
She couldn't really place it into words. It was like the static before a lightning storm.
In front of her a public carriage rolled towards the Court District. It was packed with people and they all seemed really angry.
Somewhere in the city a gunshot sounded... It was like the far away thunder before the storm hit...
From the sky a single rain drop landed right on Veronica's cheek.
She quickly went back inside and grabbed an umbrella. The strange feeling didn't left her for a long while, but she tried to ignore it as best as she could.
With a neutral and serious expression she set out into the city.
...
It was close to night when she arrived back at the inn. She went straight to her small room, carrying five different dresses with matching shoes. On her shoulder was a large bag full of many different kinds of beauty products and jewelry.
Today she spent an exorbitant amount of money. Turns out it was great that Alex left her so much money since she needed it for all this. Her total bill was around 200 gelt, but she tried not to think about it too much, because every time she done so, nausea took hold of her.
She was never really greedy in her life, but seeing the money she needed to pay for some of these items... It nearly gave her a heart attack.
James watched her struggle upstairs with a grand chuckle, but he eventually gave her a helping hand and they both placed the items on her bed.
She then had dinner with her family. She quickly ate her fill, then started to get ready. Eventually Suze finished eating too, and she helped her out with the hair and make-up.
When Veronica walked out of the bathroom her looks changed into something else.
She wore a brown dress, but it wasn't simple at all. The layers blended together perfectly and the color patterns were done expertly. There were 10 different tones of brown, each giving her dress a delightful outlook.
It also went perfectly with her hair, which was currently placed in a comfortable braid, leaving it down.
Her ears were adored by a pair of golden earrings. They had two small pink gemstones inside, which perfectly matched her eyes. On her hands a few rings glinted in the kitchen's light.
The make-up on her face was done flawlessly and elegantly. Nothing too crazy, but also a bit more than usual. Around her eyes a light eyeshadow was drawn, which further brought out her irises unique coloring. Her lips were also colored light pink. On her cheeks a small amount of blush was placed making her exquisite.
When she stepped into the kitchen the whole family was present. Most of them had missed her looks when she went to the dancing hall last time, but now all of them were here.
James looked her up and down once, then nodded. His face stayed neutral, but Veronica did spot a hidden pride behind his mask. He quickly went away to check if Michael had arrived or not.
The younger members of the family looked at her with awe. Even Ann's usual emotionless face was surprised.
"How do I look?" Asked Veronica while doing a small spin, which caused a few layers of her skirt to lift. They were very light, but there was close to a hundred layers, and only the top ones would lift from movement.
"Wow..." "Yes" "Pretty" Each had different reactions, but the consensus seemed to be the exact same. Veronica giggled a bit at their responses, and each of them blushed a bit.
She was about to say something else, but she heard the front door opening and whispering talks coming from outside of the kitchen.
Without further ado Veronica headed towards the door, not failing to give Jamie a small pet on the head. The kid looked very content with himself after that, and stared at her siblings with pride, like he was just anointed to a king.
While leaving, Veronica heard both Sofie's and Ann's chuckle. It was one of the most beautiful sounds she had ever listened to... The laughter of children...
Stepping outside the room she managed to catch a few words that James said. He was basically doing what any father would do, when they met their daughter's boyfriend... He threatened him.
James noticed her a second too late, and when she made a smile that said 'I know what you did' he looked away embarrassed.
Next to him stood a strange individual. His previous everyday stylish suit was changed into a much more wealthy looking black suit. Below it he wore a dark brown vest, that matched perfectly with his hair.
From his pocket a small golden chain of a pocket watch was hanging. On his head a black low top hat hid most of his hair.
For a moment they stared at each other with amazement. His grayish-blue eyes looked her up and down a few times, not stopping for a moment and not lingering anywhere inappropriate.
Eventually there was the sound of a throat being cleared, and they both turned towards Suze. She was staring at the two of them with a goofy smile.
"I think you should probably get going. The dancing hall won't be open all night!" With that she grabbed James's hand and she forcefully dragged him inside the kitchen.
When the main room became empty save for Veronica and Michael, a silence seeped in.
It was slowly starting to turn awkward, but Michael acted quickly. He took a step forward and stood about an arm's length away from her.
Gently he reached out and lifted her right hand to his mouth, giving a kiss to the ring on her finger. He looked straight in her eye the whole way through, which gave her butterflies.
"Your look gorgeous." He whispered to her. On Veronica's face her small blush spread a bit more, and she tried to hide it with a bright, cunning smile.
"Nice of you to notice! You look quite dashing yourself!" He chuckled at that a bit, then held out his arm for her to take.
When they were linked together they walked outside and got on a private carriage that was rented by Michael.
As the carriage rumbled below, a realization set in both of them nearly at the same time. Somehow they managed to go on a date without knowing basically anything about the other.
With the awkward silence creeping in again, one of them had to start the conversation, and this time Veronica took the stage.
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