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nThe next day the whole land of Bonelake was experiencing rain. The rain wasn’t pouring heavily but it was slow, wetting the ground and making it muddy as hours passed by since it began. The warm sun and atmosphere was now replaced with the dull weather and even in such condition the mansion had received an invitation to attend a party which was held by one of the reputed and well known family in the empire of Bonelake.

nAlong with the Lord and his cousin who were going to the invitation destination, Heidi was asked to attend as well as she was the future possible wife of Warren Lawson. She was in her room getting with a maid helping her dress in an expensive dress while she held the bed post as the maid pulled her dress strings from behind making her hands tighten around the wood she held on to. Every time the maid pulled the string it caused her breath to come out in shallow gasps. Unlike for the one whom this dress was made for her body didn’t fit in perfectly and therefore she could do nothing but bear with it for now as it was her first week in the mansion and the clothes which were promised to be sent was yet to reach which she doubted her family would do.

n“Please stand still Ms. Curtis,” the maid requested her politely when Heidi jolted back.

n“Yes,” she replied back, holding the bed post more securely, “It has been raining since last night,” she looked outside the double doors which led to the balcony.

n“The Bonelake empire is often subjected to rains and it never starts and stops with a light drizzle. Is it true that the north empire is nothing but warm and sunny?” The maid asked her curiously.

n“It is,” Heidi confirmed, “Long rains like these are very rare, may be just during the season but never too much.”

n“Never?” the maid had surprise in her voice.

n“Never. Though I have to say sometimes the summer turns unbearable and it is worse than standing in front of a hot pot but it is a good place,” she said remembering the fond memories she had built with her mother. Before her mother had passed away, their family would go out with food baskets to sit in the forest enjoying the sunlight and serenity of the land along with the shade that was provided by the tall, wide trees. They didn’t do anything special but it was one of her favorite memory.

nThe maid twisted around the strings at the back of her dress before making a small bow at the end. When the maid left the room, she took sufficient amount of air into her lungs to breath as once she would leave this room she would have to behave like a proper lady, a lady who met the high society standards and a lady who was used to such clothes which she considered to be torture. She wasn’t sure how long she would be able to keep a calm demeanor while she was surrounded by the highly classified vampires.

nAs she stood there facing towards the open window and taking deep breath, she heard the butler arrive at the door.

n“Ms. Curtis, the Lord requests your presence at the entrance of the hall if you are ready to leave,” turning around she nodded before walking across the room, noticing something amiss the butler asked, “Is everything alright Ms?”

n“How can one wear such tight clothes,” Heidi huffed for air, trying to walk as elegant as she could.

nIt was then that the butler realized she was walking too stiff like a rock being moved. On his master’s orders he had provided her with clothes that were usually kept for the female guests who arrived at the mansion and being the butler he should have known that the girl in front of him would not fit in them after all she didn’t share similar frame like the vampiress or the humans from the elite class.

n“Would you like me to look for another dress which would fit..better?” he asked.

nHeidi shook her head refusing the offer, “That’s alright. I should be able to survive for few hours. How long do you think it is going to be before we return back?” she inquired looking at her reflection in the mirror.

n“Two to three hours.”

n“I have turned fat,” Heidi muttered under her breath embarrassed feeling the tightness of her dress around her bosom and waist. The maid had done a decent job in helping her with her hair and getting her into the dress.

n“I would say healthy,” the butler consoled her with his words just as they descended down the stairs, “I know an excellent tailor in the farthest town from here who is an expert when it comes to making dresses. I will talk to master about it so we can go there once the rain stops.”

n“Thank you, Stan,” the butler waved his hand.

n“It is my job, Ms Curtis. You don’t have to be thankful for it,” he said walking behind her, “If you take little amount of breaths of air it should be manageable instead of the long ones. Deep breaths will only make it evident,” he whispered as they reached where the Lord of Bonelake and his cousin Warren stood.

nThe Lord gave her one look before he walked out to where the carriage was.

n“You look beautiful,” Warren gave her a monotone compliment when she went to stand next to him, the compliment which he was used to giving to women. Murmuring a thanks Heidi stepped into the carriage to sit opposite to the Lord.

nHer hands holding one another on her lap, she sat quietly listening to the Lord and Warren speak to each other. Most of the times she found herself not able to peg a thought on it because she had no knowledge to speak about it. The world she had stepped into was a stark contrast from where she had come from. Like the sun and moon itself. She was here to uphold the truce which was proposed and with that thought she consoled herself to drive away the anxiousness. It wouldn’t matter where she came from. Time and again she tried to convince herself to accept the fate she was asked to walk on.

nGlancing towards Warren she found him sitting straight which enhanced his existing height of his body, his smooth grey hair was swept across his forehead. As most of the vampires she had come across, he was no less when it came to appearance. Like the Lord he had softened features but his eyes were dull red while the Lord’s eyes were dark. Talking about the Lord, Heidi turned her gaze towards the person in the front seat.

nEven with the cloudy sky, Heidi saw his hair was more of a brown and few edges from where she sat looked golden brown. Staying in the mansion she had often found him with an unkempt hair but now he had combed the entire amount of hair back, not leaving even a single strand on his forehead. As neat as his hair was kept in poise he had left the top buttons of his shirt unbuttoned over the cloak, letting a small peak of his muscles. His lips wore a small smile which only grew in time, his eyes drifted to hers and she realized he had caught her staring. Like a secret contest of not wanting to loose she didn’t look away and neither did he, both of them staring at each other. Soon Heidi’s sight wavered, her eyes pricking with the need to blink before tears would start spilling out. Warren who had only noticed them staring spoke,

n“Are you trying to steal my fiance, Nick,” Warren asked him humor in his voice.

n“May be I will,” Seeing the mirth in the Lord’s eyes Heidi broke her gaze away from him to look down at her fingers that were now locked.

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