A white, jade-skinned beauty stood in front of the group. Silver hair, now grown after not being cut for a while, almost reached his gently sloped shoulders. Peach blossom sparkling blue eyes like diamonds gazed at them, and snow-colored butterfly lashes covered them. His nose had a high bridge and soft slope, leading to his pink lips.
The youthful beauty's legs were long and slender, and his arms swung freely by his side like a spring breeze. The navy blue blouse hung loose on his frame but was cinched at his slim waist as it tucked into the pants.
The gems on the blouse shimmered like stars on the dark fabric, and the black plants on the youth's long legs looked like a beckoning abyss. Ruffles and cascading fabric were attached to the pants, giving them a decadent yet elegant quality. The ensemble was paired with shiny black dress shoes with a silver chain.
But the most eye-catching part of the outfit had to be the accessory on his head. Above his right ear, pinned to his hair, was a jewel accessory with dangling stones in the shape of a guiding star.
Everyone was gobsmacked. Yunho felt awkward standing while no one said anything. He couldn't help but think the outfit was too gaudy and feminine. If the pants were replaced with a skirt, it would definitely suit a debutante. He fiddled with the baroque-pearled masquerade mask in his hands.
"Shouldn't we get going now? I'm sorry for taking long," Yunho said.
Rizer regrouped himself the quickest and nodded.
"The young master is right. The event is this evening. We should set off now if we want to arrive on time," the butler said.
The coachmen quickly agreed. The horses were fed, and the two men took their posts. Nym and Aris were the last to recover from the shock, and even when entering the carriages, they had an air of surprise on their faces.
Aris was in the same carriage as Yunho again. And Nym and Rider shared the other carriages.
Sitting across from the girl, Yunho could almost see the pink sparkles radiating off of her as she looked at his outfit. Aris wasn't immune to fashion and beauty. Like many other girls, she was an aesthete by nature, not superficial by any means, but Aris couldn't deny beauty when she saw it.
He felt even more awkward and scratched the side of his face.
"Young master..." The girl started.
Yunho was already preparing himself for some nonsense when...
"You're not trying to marry off already, are you?" The girl asked, her eyes big.
"..."
Hearing his silence, Aris sat back. "Well, I guess the young master is at that age..."
Yunho couldn't take it anymore.
"No! ...What makes you think that?"
Marriage was the last thing on his mind. The first thing was living, and the second was maybe money.
The girl made an "oh" expression.
"It's just that the young master is dressed so nicely, so this servant thought..." Aris started to stutter.
Yunho sighed. He understood, too. The dressmaker really went above and beyond. People thought he was trying to be whisked away! It actually started to concern him.
What if Irene thought he was trying to upstage her...? Coming to someone's celebration party decked out to the nines didn't scream "humility," even if you're the celebrant's brother.
But...Yunho remembered the mask. The blue and white masquerade mask with black baroque pearls was tied to the waist of his pants by a ribbon. There was always this.
Despite Irene's party being earlier than it was in the novel, a key aspect of it was still preserved. The masquerade element.
Iris wasn't at the party in the novel since he refused to accept that his sister was the chosen one. But in the original plot, the party is where Irene starts making some moves. This is where she first meets the crown prince.
Irene knows the power the prince would have on her status and how he could help her in her revenge. In this first meeting, she uses the masquerade half of the party as a cover-up, identifies the prince, and talks to him about meeting in the future.
Irene uses herself and her status as the chosen one almost as a bargaining chip. And when the two secretly meet, the prince proposes the plan that sets the main swing of the novel in motion. He wants to win the crown, and she wants freedom and revenge. And the price is just marriage. Well, at that part of the novel, more like courting and engagement...but one gets the point.
Yunho wasn't attempting to stop this at all, but there could be people at the party who'd be useful to him later. Plus, he could attempt reconciliation with Irene again and possibly get on the prince's good side, too! (Yunho knew that was definitely not happening.) And he could scope out the social climate.
He was equipped with the superior knowledge of the future from the novel, and he'd be damned if he didn't use it. But what use would it be if he didn't get some on-site experience too?
Yunho inwardly sighed. He looked out the window. The outside view slid past like a panorama as the carriage happily went along the way.
Aris, not knowing the turmoil in her young master's heart, saw the scene and felt even more ecstatic. A brooding beauty in a delightful carriage made her think of the old stories she'd read to her sister when she was younger.
Of course, this beauty was a man...but she could always pretend.
The carriage rolled along the way with little issue, and Yunho watched as the sky slowly turned a darker hue of blue.
Anxiety peaked in his stomach, and he licked his pink lips until they were a cherry red.
Was it still too late to turn around?
That question was quickly answered when the carriage finally slowed down to a lull. Yunho peeked outside and recognized the front courtyard they were in at once.
There were a few more groups of carriages in front of them, and the Evastine Estate's garden and front were decorated with lights and ribbons.
Servants walked along the courtyard and bowed to the upcoming carriages, helping lead them on their way.
A servant then stopped one of the carriages in front of them, and the two people inside the carriage got out and allowed themselves to be escorted to the estate's entrance. The coachman of that carriage was led to a stable by another servant.
It was a process that was repeated until it was their turn.
The carriage in which the butler and Nym were riding was in front of Yunho's, so they got off first. When the two ushering servants saw them, their eyes twinkled with recognition.
They immediately knew who had to be in the following carriage.
"It is very good to see you two again!" One said. He was an older male who worked in the estate's garden. He was acting as an usher today because he had more stamina than the younger servant girls.
Nym nodded at the old acquaintance and followed Rizer to the edge of the path near the estate's steps to wait for their young master.
The butler and servant boy stood off to the side of the stone courtyard while the ushering servants gently opened the door of the next carriage.
There was a soft gasp from one of them when they laid their eyes on Yunho, well, Iris. Yunho wasn't so vain as to claim Iris's genes as his own. He wasn't ugly in his original life, but he was definitely not as S-tier as Iris, who was MAX! in his looks stats.
The man held out his hand to help Aris and him out of the carriage. And two got out with little issue. Yunho watched as the coachmen followed another servant and drove the carriages to the estate's stables.
He wondered if there would be enough space for all of the carriages because he could see more coming. Standing in the front courtyard, Yunho could see the light coming from the estate and even hear faint music.
The two ushering servants led the group to the doors and pushed them open. There, another servant stood at a table that was positioned in front of the doorway. Yunho quirked up a pale eyebrow. He couldn't help but feel bad about the amount of labor needed for this operation.
This servant was a young woman and was holding a book, most likely of invitees. She raised her head but not her eyes and tapped her fingers on the desk.
"Name?" She asked in a curt tone, but when she looked up, her eyes went wide. She recognized the family's first son and their own Evastine Estate's servants.
The woman smiled.
"Young master Iris! The Lord and Lady were waiting for your appearance. Someone will lead the young master to the event hall immediately. They'll announce your arrival, too." The lady finished, and as soon as she did, a pair of servants approached them and led them towards the hall.
Yunho thought he recognized one of the servants as a girl who'd bullied Irene, so he didn't feel sorry for her. The two servants led in the front, and Iris walked with Rizer, Nym, and Aris following behind him in an arrow-like formation.
The group eventually reached two big doors. Yunho didn't recognize them. In his short stay at the estate after transmigrating, no events were held, so he had no reason to see the event hall. Yunho didn't even get time to react when the doors were pushed open by the servants, and the hall was revealed.
It was an incredibly large and open space that had high ceilings and stained glass windows on every side. It had a regal air, and a live orchestra played golden strings of music that reached his ears.
Yunho could see that there were already many guests and that a small crowd had formed around a specific individual in the middle of the hall floor. Yunho's breath hitched. He could guess who that would be. But before he could collect himself, one of the servants that led him to the hall grabbed a speaking trumpet and spoke loudly into it.
"Now arriving...Iris de Evastine, first son of the House de Evastine and now brother of the next High Priestess and celebrant, Irene de Evastine!" The girl announced. She was the one Yunho recognized as a bully of Irene, so when saying the words "high priestess," her voice was tense.
Yunho froze, and he could see everybody's eyes on him. He took one glance at the servants behind him and a deep breath. Turning back around, he gave a smile and lithely made his way down the small flight of stairs at the hall entrance. It was a beautiful ballroom with beautiful decorations and guests in equally beautiful attire, yet it was incredibly stressful.
The hush of silence that had fallen upon the room at the announcement of his arrival was broken with a sea of whispers. Yunho was wondering exactly what for when he saw a figure moving towards him.
The figure had silver hair that fell to her waist and equally chilly, piercing blue eyes with white, snowy eyelashes bordering them, even in the warmth. The young woman walked towards him at a slow, measured pace. Her deep sapphire blue dress swished around him. She looked incredibly like him. Well, it was in their genes.
Because it was Irene now standing in front of him. She gave a light bow, only of the head, and smiled.
"Greetings, my dear brother. I hope you enjoy the party."
And with that, she walked away. It was a short greeting lacking warmth, especially for a sibling, but it was long considering their relationship.
But something in Yunho was unsettled. He had only read the book and transmigrated into the novel recently, so it's not like he knew Irene on a personal level. But something still felt...off.
He was taken out of his thoughts when he was suddenly embraced. Red hair and rose perfume entered his field of sense.
Lady Rosetta de Evastine. His mother in this world.
—
End of Chapter 19