Mistaken by the Billionaire Marquess

CHAPTER 35: Banquet

– LIA –

OCEAN OF DRESSES greeted me as Mama opened the tall and wide brown door. The dresses have different styles and colors. Some are infinity dresses, and others are evening gowns, while some have balloon skirts. Almost every color discovered on the planet is inside this huge walk-in closet.

Aside from dresses, there are also different kinds of shoes. Platform sandals, stilettos, low heels, and the classic. Name a type of women’s shoes, and you can find it here.

Lastly, the middle part of the walk-in closet is filled with different types of jewelries. Just by looking at those shiny stones and I can say that those can feed me for my whole life.

“We’ll pick the best dress for you!” Mama exclaimed as she clapped her hands together.

She touched my shoulders and guided me towards the area for the dresses. “You will be the most beautiful, glamorous, and sophisticated lady in that banquet. All of their eyes will be glued on you. I’m sure of that.”

I just gave a small laugh and smile. I’m not really good at picking dresses because I lived my life picking the clothes that are on the uppermost part of my drawer without even looking at it.

“Mama,” I called her. “I’m not sure what to pick,” I said as my eyes roamed around the whole room.

She smiled at me. “Don’t worry, hija. I will help you find the dress that suits you.”

“Lia, what’s your favorite color?” she asked while taking a look at every dress we passed by.

“I have three, Mama. Blue, lilac, and gold,” I answered.

I looked at every dress to see if I would like something. However, the colors are not my type. There are also some dresses where I like the color but the style is not my preference.

“Mama, what’s the dress code for the banquet?” I asked. I wasn’t able to clarify it, and I didn’t read that information in the invitation.

“Ballgown masquerade. That’s why I want to choose the dresses with the grandest skirt and petticoat.”

I nodded. I was about to answer her when my eyes lay on one of the dresses stored inside a glass container. I couldn’t look away from it. Just from one look, I know that this gown will accompany me to the banquet.

“MAMA, where’s Lia?” I heard Kelleon ask from the lower part of the stairs. His voice is loud and clear that I can still hear him even if I’m on the second floor.

I heard Mama giggled. “Oh, hijo. Relax,” she answered. “She’ll be here in any minute.”

When the makeup artist told me that I’m ready to go, I stood up and walked, dragging the black, ballooned, long skirt with gold roses pattern of the gown I’m wearing.

I took a deep breath before walking towards the stairs. My steps are so careful because I’m afraid that I might trip. Wearing black low heels is kind of uncomfortable for me. But I believe that beauty is pain.

On the lowest part of the stairs, there stood a tall, muscular man, wearing a black and gold tuxedo. One of his hands is holding the mask with various patterns engraved on it. The half of it is black while the other one is gold. It is the same as the mask I’m holding, except that mine has gold and black feathers glued on the upper middle part of it.

As I was walking down the stairs, our eyes were glued to each other. It’s like we don’t care about the other things around us. We just cared about ourselves.

I don’t even know how I managed to step down the stairs without looking at each platform. All I know is when I reached Kelleon, he grabbed my waist and pulled me closer to him.This belongs © NôvelDra/ma.Org.

“Eres tan hermosa, mi amor,” Kelleon said before leaning forward and kissing my lips.

“All I understood is hermosa and mi amor,” I chuckled. “Gracias, cariño. Eres tan hermoso.”

He smiled widely at me before moving closer to my lips. But before we can taste each other’s mouth, someone cleared their throat, making us stop halfway.

“We’re gonna be late for the banquet. Save those kisses for later,” Mama said before clinging into Papa’s arms.

All of us left the mansion. It didn’t take us long to reach Duke Fatalla’s mansion in Barcelona. Before we left the car, we all put on our masks. Kelleon even helped me in wearing my mask before kissing me again.

“You’re gonna ruin my lipstick,” I said when our lips separated.

He just laughed at me before opening the car door and guiding me outside.

The red carpet heading towards the mansion greeted us. There are also several people from the media clicking their cameras as if we’re superstars.

Kelleon grabbed me by the waist before smiling. I know what’s going on in his mind, and I decided to jump on it. I touched his hand on my waist while my left hand reached for his free hand. We both walked towards the entrance while smiling at the cameras.

The whole place is grand. There are several circular tables with black covers while the chairs are covered with white fabric. The middle space is empty, maybe for the dance later. There is a higher platform in front of grand decorations. On the other side is the band playing classical songs that I don’t understand.

There are a lot of flowers inside the mansion. I want to pick them up later.

The banquet started by introducing the birthday celebrant, the Duke. A speech was given, and I don’t understand what he said because it was in Spanish. I just clapped together with the other guests when he finished talking.

After a while, we had our dinner. I want to complain because the servings were too small for me and it didn’t even fill my stomach, but then I remembered that maybe it is like this in banquets. I can’t be a glutton if I’m in a huge celebration like this.

“I’m still hungry,” I whispered to Kelleon after we ate.

He pinched my cheek and laughed. “You can eat later when we go home, okay? Just a few minutes of staying here, then we’ll drive home,” he said.

I pouted but still nodded at him. I simply looked around, and I saw some of the people talking to each other. The people at the table near us were talking in Spanish, and the only words I understood were ‘si’, ‘gracias’, and other words that we also have in the Philippines.

“Mi amor,” Kelleon called me, making me turn my head towards him. “I’ll just talk to my friends. Is that alright?” he asked while pointing at the group of men on the right side of the banquet hall.

I nodded. “Of course. There is no need to ask me. Go and catch up with them,” I answered.

“Will you be fine here?” he asked.

I gave him a smile. “Yes. I’ll try to introduce myself to the other ladies here.”

Kelleon left the table after giving me a kiss. I saw him walk towards his friends, and when I was sure that they were already discussing, I stood up and joined the group of ladies.

It was fun. Good thing they can speak English. I thought I was going to be outcasted since most of the people here are Spanish, but I was wrong.

Some of the ladies came from other parts of Europe. Like me, there are also ladies here who were the dates of the guests.

“Lia, who’s your date, by the way?” One of my new friends, Rueiza asked. She came from Poland, and her date is Count Alvaro Amorsolo.

I was shocked when all of the ladies I talked to had dates who were part of the nobilities. Most of them are dates of barons and counts, while others are dates of marquesses. Some are dates of the sons of those who are inside the nobility circle.

“Oh, my date’s Kelleon Gonzales,” I answered.

I don’t even need to remove their masks to see that their eyes widen. They all looked shocked when I said that name.

“Oh. My. God,” Stella, a daughter of a Baron, reacted. “You’re so lucky, Lia!”

“Oh, yes! He must be really head over heels for you to bring you as a date here!”  Ammarylis, the date of a Viscount exclaimed.

All of the ladies giggled. I didn’t think much of it and we went to another topic. Our conversation went longer, and it kept on switching from one topic to another. All of us are so engaged.

Later on, they all went to their dates for the dance. I glanced at Kelleon, and I saw him talking seriously to his friends. I didn’t want to interrupt him, so I just watched the couples dancing in the middle of the banquet hall.

“Good evening, young lady,” a certain male voice greeted me. I looked in that direction, and I saw a blond man smiling at me.

This man is tall but not as tall as Kelleon. His voice is not as deep as Kelleon and his body figure are not as muscular as my boyfriend’s.

“Good evening,” I greeted him back. I don’t know how to respond to him. I have no experience talking to another man in places like this. Kelleon is the only man I ever talked to, and most of my friends are gay.

“Your dress suits you, young lady. Did you design it yourself?” he asked.

And this starts our conversation. This man knows how to continue a dialogue without getting weird. He can introduce a topic I can easily jump into it.

We talked first about the gown, his suit, the food served in the banquet, and the decorations, until we already talked about the people dancing.

“Look at that man. He already stepped on his partner’s dress five times in a row,” he said before slightly pointing to the man wearing a cobalt blue tuxedo.

We kept on talking about other people. I remembered Jerome at him. My friend and I also love to observe and talk about others, not in an offensive way.

I can smell something on this man, and I smell something fishy.

I was about to ask him his name when someone grabbed me by the waist.

“I can see that you’re having a good time, mi amor,” Kelleon whispered in my ear. He is breathing heavily while looking intently at my eyes. His angry aura surrounds him.

What is his problem?

“Yes, I am. I met a lot of new friends,” I said before looking at the blond man.

“Mister, what’s your name again?” I asked because I forgot to ask about it earlier. We already talked about several things, but I still don’t know his name.

“I’m Lord Izan Navarro, son of Viscount Immanuel Navarro, from Zaragoza,” he introduced himself before bowing. He looked so formal right now. Earlier, we were acting like people from squatters with canal humor.

“It’s nice to meet you, Lord Izan,” Kelleon said with sarcasm evident in his voice.

“I’m Marquess Kelleon Dmitri Gonzales, son of Marquess Killian Gonzales and Marchioness Dorothea Dalapaz-Gonzales, from Barcelona.”

My mind stopped functioning for a minute. Did I hear it right?

Kelleon is a Marquess?!

I blinked my eyes several times while processing what he said.

So that’s why most of the people here are nobles. I just thought that Kelleon and his family is a friends to nobles because they’re wealthy.

But I was wrong. They are a part of the nobilities. And not just a part, he is in a high-ranking position! Just below the Duke!

“Greetings, Your Highness,” Lord Izan’s voice shook while talking. He excused himself without even looking at us.

Is Kelleon that scary for him?

Before I could react, Kelleon gently pulled me towards the dance floor. Good thing that Mama trained me on how to dance, so I was able to follow Kelleon’s steps.

“You seemed happy with that son of a viscount,” Kelleon said before turning me around.

I grinned at him. “Are you jealous, Your Highness?” I teased.

“Don’t call me like that,” he responded. He turned me around again before touching my waist and moving with the rhythm of the music.

“You didn’t tell me that you’re a Marquess, cariño,” I said. “Now, I felt like a small ant in your world.”

He cupped my face. “Don’t be worried, mi amor. You’re going to be a part of this world. You’re going to be my queen, mi amor.”

“Are you already sure of me, cariño?” I asked for confirmation. Everything seems fast for me. I don’t want to rush him in this relationship.

“Yes, mi amor. I’m already sure since the first time I laid my eyes on you,” he answered.

I smiled at him. “I’m happy to hear that because I’m already sure of you, my lord.”

Both of his hands cupped my face gently, and I put my hands on his shoulders. We were both moving our bodies with the music, just like what other couples are doing on the floor.

“Te amo, mi amor,” he whispered softly.

I smiled and leaned closer to him. “Te amo, tabien, cariño.”

The melody of the music and the softness of his lips brought me to heaven. I just wish that this night will never end, and happiness will always be with us.