The conversation was lively and entertaining. Shortly after Lydia began to eat, she slowly returned back to her normal self.
"And then my brother had the guts to say he’s the prettiest sibling!" Lydia chortled with a deep scowl on her face. She angrily sliced the steak, wishing it was his face.
"Can you believe the audacity?!" Lydia said. "He’s obviously the ugliest child of the Claymore family!"
Adeline’s lips twisted into an amused smile. She had met Lydia’s brother only a handful of times. He was younger than her by two years, which made him eighteen this year. If she recalled correctly, there were always rumors about how good looking he was.
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She supposed everyone was ugly in Lydia’s eyes. Especially the person vying for her position as the heir to the Claymore fortune.
"I should’ve scratched his ugly face when he made that stupid statement over dinner. He already ruined my appetite, so why should I be nice?" Lydia scoffed out.
Adeline lightly laughed. She enjoyed the current Lydia. For a split second, the previous, nervous and fumbling Lydia was forgotten. But only for a second. She knew there was more pressing manners than Lydia’s younger brother. For her best friend’s sake, she closed her mouth and patiently listened.
"And gosh, Father even agreed with him, saying he can be the prettiest sister too!"
Adeline’s smile widened a bit. She could imagine Mr. Claymore saying that just to tease his daughter. He enjoyed ruffling her feathers which in return, would anger his well-mannered wife. There wasn’t a single meal in the Claymore household that wasn’t joyful and delightful.
Adeline couldn’t help but compare to her quiet meals in the Marden Estate. When she was given a meager meal of salads and nothing more, the dining hall was always silent. The only noise was the clinks of utensils.
"Did Linden forget who was rated as one of the most beautiful women in the world? Hmph!" Lydia stabbed the sliced steak and placed it into her mouth, angrily chewing at the thought of her brother.
"But wasn’t Linden ranked on ’Top 100 most handsome man in the world?’ I think I saw him high on the list," Adeline naively asked, not realizing she was opening a can of worms.
"T-that’s only because uhm..." Lydia trailed off, thinking of a reason to rival Adeline’s statement. She could only remember Linden being higher ranked than her.
"Or perhaps I saw it wrong," Adeline added on in a lighter voice. It was then she noted Lydia’s scrunched up nose.
Lydia opened her mouth to explain, but was interrupted by the sound of the opening door. Her head snapped to the side, her gentle gaze becoming aggravated. Of course the devil’s spawn would walk in and interrupt her.
"Announcing His Royal Majesty!" The guards loudly declared.
Elias’s powerful footsteps echoed in the room. Quiet yet thunderous, he eluded the prestige of a well-bred bloodline. His gaze was stern and aloof, his smile sinister and cold. He radiated in the most blinding manner, with a face that forced others to take triple looks.
"Elias," Adeline greeted in a softened voice. She rose from her chair, knowing he would be seated at the head of the table.
"Adeline," Elias sweetly said. His attention was on her and her alone. The most beautiful woman could be in the room, and he’d turn a blind eye to it. Not because he was cheesy, but because only Adeline attracted his gaze.
There was something about her quiet nature that was charming. When everyone was laughing, she’d simply smile. Her contrasting behavior lured in curious people.
"Lydia," Lydia spoke up, just so she didn’t feel left out.
Elias pretended he didn’t hear the mosquito buzzing in his ears. His footsteps stopped directly besides Adeline. She was watching him as he placed his hand on her shoulders and pushed her back onto the chair.
"How’s lunch?" he asked, whilst his gaze flickered to the plate.
Adeline had cut many slices of the steak, all of which, laid to the right of the plate. He predicted she took less than one bite.
"Good," Adeline mumbled.
"It seems finger-food is your favorite," Elias wryly said in a displeased voice.
"No, this steak is fine," Adeline instantly responded, but too quickly.
His grip tightened on her shoulder, forcing her to look into his eyes. His gaze burned with more intensity than hell-fire. His brows were taunt and his jaw ticked. She offered him a smile, hoping it would soften his features.
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"Once again I’m a mere hallucination. Don’t worry, I’m not even here," Lydia boredly spoke up. She pointed her fork towards them before placing the steak into her mouth. It was juicy and absolutely delicious.
Elias slightly sneered. She was an attention seeker.
But her pathetic tactic worked. Adeline’s attention returned back to her friend, as she apologetically smiled.
"Liddy, how is the steak?" Adeline asked
Just as Lydia opened her mouth to respond, a rude voice cut her off.
"Adeline," he curtly said.
Adeline was forced to look back at Elias. His hands slide down her arm, teasingly slow. Her breath hitched, as he gingerly grabbed her wrist. He was standing incredibly close to her now, his minty breath fanning the side of her neck.
With Elias’s sensual guiding hands, he helped her cut the steak, glistening juices flowing out. Then, he lifted the fork and brought it to her lips.
"Open your mouth," he smoothly whispered, his voice dripping with seduction.
Adeline’s heart skipped a beat. Just previously, he had asked her to open something else… her face instantly flushed. She felt like a sullen child being fed. With no choice but to obey, she opened her lips. He placed the meat into her mouth, watching with strong, intense eyes.
"Slowly," he murmured, "Yes, just like that my sweet."
Adeline’s face burned even more. She quietly chewed the steak.
"The steak tastes divine, don’t you think so, Addy?" Lydia spoke up. She refused to have her best friend’s attention robbed from her just because of cheap, seduction tactics!
"But you must taste the way I prepare it, here!" Lydia lifted her fork with the meat dipped in the soup, which added a different flavor to the steak.
Adeline always knew Lydia had strange, but amazing food combinations. Thus, she slowly rose from her chair, leaning forward just as Lydia came forward with the fork. She reached for the fork, but a hand reached faster than her.
"It seems the Claymore didn’t teach their daughters etiquette," Elias spat out. He stole the fork from her hand whilst snickering. "Who uses the salad fork to cut meat?"
Lydia glowered at him. "And didn’t your parents teach you to not steal?"
Elias narrowed his eyes. He glanced at the fork and threw it over his shoulders, as if it was nothing. She heard his sharp gasp, before her eyes began to burn a hole through him.
"Elias…" Adeline trailed off.
Elias’s fingers lightly graced her chin, turning it up. He smiled down at her, his eyes flashing with mirth.
"You have something here," Elias murmured. His thumb wiped away the imaginary stain from the corner of her mouth. But she was fast, and licked it before he did.
Then, her brows tugged together. "There was nothing there," she said.
Elias was momentarily distracted by the small tart of her pink tongue. His groin tightened, like his smile.
"It must’ve been a trick of the light," Elias said in a strained voice. He bent down, catching her by surprise. "But something will be here now."
Elias pecked her on the lips, a quiet "smack" sounding in the room. Instantly, she let out a small groan, hiding her face with shame.
He heard a loud scoff.
"More like the cheapest trick in the book, I nearly gagged," Lydia said with a roll of her defiant eyes.
Lydia ignored the sharp glower sent in her direction. She could care less about his aggravation. She was even more angered than him!
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