The Ball - Part 5

It almost felt like the entire room had grown quiet after those words were spoken by Sir Roderick. It felt like you could hear a pin drop. That was how tense it felt after he spoke.

Yet as she looked around, only a few members of nobility around them were actually watching. The rest were just going about their mingling and chatting with each other. The few watching must be seeing this like it was a play one would go to the theatre to see. Whether it was down as a comedy or a drama would probably be decided by whatever happened next.

"My love. Are you ok? You are looking a little flush."

Sir Roderick only had his eyes on Sylvia who had yet to respond after she was cut off. Looking over at her, Octavia could see how much this was affecting her.

She currently had her head in her hands and while hard to see, it almost looked like she was shaking. Octavia could only imagine she was laughing to herself at how annoying things had become. She had spent the better part of the ball trying to escape Sir Roderick's clutches, then the first time she shows herself to deal with another annoying problem, Marquis De'vamillion that is, Sir Roderick finally catches up with her.

It was clear to see she did not want to deal with this and had no idea what she could do to free herself from these two problems.

So, before she had an aneurysm trying to figure it out, Octavia jumped in to try and save the day.

"Gentlemen, my apologies but I need to borrow Lady Sylvia for a moment," she stated as she took Sylvia's arm in order to help get her away from them.

But the plan she had quickly backfired when she remembered Sir Roderick's personality.

"I think not. Unhand her now you cretin! I will not let my beloved be taken away by some snake that plans to do her harm." He sauntered over to them and took Sylvia's other arm. "My love, let me take you away from this fiend and we can enjoy the rest of the ball together."

Octavia's mouth gaped at hearing him speak, but before she could retort another voice joined in.

"Lady Octavia. Come and join me for the dance. Sir Roderick can take care of Sylvia them being…partners and all." Marquis De'vamillion said as he held his hand out to touch her arm. As she looked at him, she saw he had just a horrible grin as he looked over at her and then Sylvia. She was sure he knew full well that they were not actually together and just decided to go along with it to separate them.

Octavia began to panic as she felt Marquis De'vamillion slowly snake his arm through hers in order to take her away and slowly felt her other arm slip out from Sylvia's as Sir Roderick pulled her towards him.

She had to do something to stop them, but she couldn't think of anything. Nothing good would happen if they ended up alone with either of these men. Sylvia would probably go insane from listening to Sir Roderick incessantly telling her of their wedding plans. Then where was what Sylvia told her about Marquis De'vamillion, where if she ended up having to dance with him, he would surely do something to try and make her part of his harem. Obviously, she would say no, but who knows what he would do to make it happen, being the creep he was.

The only thing she could think to do to stop this was to punch them, but that obviously couldn't happen. So, she was out of ideas.

"I-err, no-wait" she fumbled around trying to make time as she figured out what to say.

One last look at Sylvia as she had almost been pulled out of her grasp, she saw her pull her hands away from her face and her eyes brighten. She had thought of something.

She then stood firm and shouted out the phrase that would save the day.

"Octavia is my fiancé!"

*gasp*

When Octavia had thought the room went silent before, that was nothing to when it actually happened.

The band had stopped playing the background music. All of the conversations had stopped. You truly would be able to hear a pin drop in this situation.

The whole room had gasped at the same time, which was astonishing. The only ones who hadn't was Sir Roderick and the Marquis De'vamillion whom both had scowls on their faces.

"My love, what are you saying? We are together, not you and this…thing. Why would you say you are engaged to this snake when you love me? It makes no sense."

"He's right. It doesn't make sense. This is the first anyone has heard about an engagement for you. It's almost as if you made it up on the spot." Marquis De'vamillion scowl had changed to a grin as he said that, thinking he won, seeing the flaw in her statement. From where he was standing, it was obvious that she had just made it up, and in the world of nobility, there were rules and steps that had to be done to make things like this happen.

There was courting involved and generally, people knew who was courting whom. The only time it didn't happen was when there was a secret affair between nobility, which was very much taboo and seen as unsavoury, so this wasn't declared to others. But for a single woman of marriageable age, many suiters would put forward their intention to woo and court her. This would become news and gossip that all the nobility would hear about. So, for this to be the first anyone had heard of it was odd.

Then there was the whole act of courting, which involved gifts and grand gestures in order to win the lady over. Flowers and jewels were the staples of romantic gifts, with serenading, poetry and acts of heroism for the lady among the gestures many suiters would perform, to show how much they wished to marry her.

Thankfully there was no issue with them both being women. The world, while being back in the times in terms of technology and such, they were ahead of things in terms of same-sex relationships. Whether it was just the case for this world, or maybe magic had some effect on how people viewed it, she didn't know. But it meant that there was no problem with that side of things.

Sylvia looked around the room in worry as she tried to come up with something to say when all of a sudden, she saw Lord Desmon. His face did not show any shock, but it was something akin to a knowing and understanding look. This was all she needed to figure out how to respond.

"Octavia made her intentions to court me when we first met! She saved my life and has performed many a gesture to show her love for me! Not long after she proposed to me! Things happened fast and so there was hardly any time for word to be sent around!" She hurriedly shouted off the top of her head at the people around her.

When she finished, she gave a short exhale of air and crossed her arms in defiance and victory. Looking at Marquis De'vamillion his scowl was back and only grew deeper as he realised there wasn't anything he could say, and with a final look at Octavia, he stormed off.

Sir Roderick was just making a very exaggerated soppy face as if he were on the verge of tears.

"But, milady. We have been in love for as long as we have known each other. Why would you agree to marry this harlot."

Octavia would have responded to this, but honestly, she was still frozen in shock since Sylvia had announced their engagement that she knew nothing about. So, it was down to Sylvia to respond to the man.

"Sir Roderick. We have never been in love. It has all been in your head. Now, I am going to leave with my…finance, and you are not to follow me. Is that clear!?"

It would seem that getting one over on Marquis De'vamillion had given her the push to fight back against Sir Roderick...eccentricities. The man in question had ended up shocked to his core when she said all that, and before he could retort, he watched Sylvia be true to her word and take Octavia by the arm and walk away.

Octavia was shaken out of her stupor when she felt Sylvia's hand on her arm and ended up just following her on instinct, not really knowing what to do, and headed to the far wall.

The walkover had not been uneventful. By now, the band had started to play again, having to restart the song they were on when they paused, so it was thankfully no longer silent. The problem was that as they walked, everyone they passed stood in the way in order to congratulate them. People Sylvia had never met before, shook hers and Octavia's hands to give their congratulation at the engaged couple. It took them forever.

But after a while, they reached their destination and spent the next few minutes catching their breath.