Chapter 785 - Engagement Announcement?
"When shall we expect the announcement of your engagement, Miss Cecily?" Elna Leopold inquired with a curious look on her face.
At these words, everyone paused what they were doing and turned in the direction of the one who was being questioned.
Yvonne raised her brow and waited to see how Cecily would react, curious about the answer just like the rest.
While everyone was gazing at Cecily who was now blushing at the thought of her engagement with the one she liked, Elna's eyes were fixed on someone else.
She smiled in satisfaction when she caught the glint of anger flickering across Aleena's eyes.
The only reason she had tossed this question out was not because of her genuine curiosity for Cecily's future but to bring out the crude behavior which Aleena was trying to hide behind that veil of elegance for some time now.
Everyone here was aware of Cecily's admiration for Jacob Kiron as it had not been a secret for a very long time.
She also knew that Aleena disliked Cecily who tried to get closer to him by using his little sisters at times.
'Let's see how you react now.' She smirked for a moment, eager to witness the sight of Aleena tearing away the facade she had been maintaining these days.
"The elders have to make that decision." Cecily's bashful mutter was heard in the silence, making them nod as this was the norm.
She would turn sixteen soon and most young girls would get engaged once their coming-of-age ceremony was completed.
Thus it was inevitable that Cecily's engagement to some eligible young man would be announced soon.
However, Aleena and Rika pursed their lips when they received a meaningful gaze from the oldest girl here.
It was easy for them to comprehend what Cecily's side glance had meant.
"Yes, as Miss Yona has said. The elders should be making that decision." Aleena replied in a neutral tone which did not share the excitement visible on the other girl's face.
The Jorbin triplets were watching this scene with much enthusiasm, sipping their teas at frequent intervals.
They rarely attended these noble parties but had heard a lot about the Cecily-Jacob-Klay situation whenever they visited the Capital.
Therefore, they were excited to witness this topic being discussed for the first time in their presence.
When Yvonne noticed their eager faces which looked like they were viewing something thrilling, she was somehow reminded of her tutor who might have acted the same way if he was here right now.
On the other side of the table, Cecily's blushing smile froze when she heard Aleena's cold voice.
While the words she heard were concurrent to what she had said earlier, the tone made her believe that Aleena wasn't truly hoping for it to happen.
Thinking of the many years where her mother had been trying to initiate talks about an alliance between the Yona and Kiron family, she felt indignant as they had all been brushed aside by Marchioness Kiron.
"Yes…" She nodded before turning towards Elna, the only one who was genuinely hoping that she would get engaged to Jacob.
"We still have one year left before my coming-of-age ceremony." She added as she turned towards Aleena, smiling provocatively.
In response, Aleena raised her brow in surprise as this most definitely was the first time that Cecily had gone against her.
To impress her brother, Cecily had always been gentle towards her but something seems to have changed today.
Unable to figure out what had caused this shift in her attitude, Aleena's expressions had cracked for just a moment before she managed to regain her composure.
However, this much was enough for Elna who had a victorious smirk on her face which she hid behind a paper fan she had been carrying around with her.
Lifting her head, she made eye contact with the girl sitting next to her and the two smiled before nodding at each other.
___
Earlier today, for their trip to the Palace, Elna and Cecily had arrived together in the same carriage.
The reason for Cecily's sudden confidence about her future engagement and also Elna's intention while bringing up this topic stemmed from a single conversation the two had.
When they were on their way to the Palace, Elna had recalled something that was connected to Cecily.
"My mother thinks that Miss Cecily is a great fit for Master Jacob." She had mentioned as the carriage moved ahead.
Hearing this caused Cecily's face to light up in glee as she too felt the same way.
"Though I wonder if Miss Aleena would agree to that." Her next statement resulted in the older girl narrowing her eyes significantly.
Cecily did not need much explaining for she had experienced too many incidents in the past where Aleena had hindered her attempts of getting closer to her beloved.
At those times, however, she had turned a blind eye towards it after recalling how much Jacob cared for his sisters.
However, it was a given that she would not be as lenient when it came to her marriage with that person.
Elna was pleased that things were going in the direction she was hoping for but did not let those emotions appear on her face.
Instead, she put on an aggrieved expression while holding onto Cecily's hands.
"Miss Cecily, I truly hope that you marry the one you like." She revealed her thoughts which brought a gentle smile to the earlier seething face of the other girl.
"But you will have to work hard for it." She added just when Cecily was about to reply.
"I know, Miss Elna." The other girl answered, determination flashing across her eyes which proved that she was willing to do anything if it meant that she could marry Jacob Kiron.
Elna patted her hands and decided that now was the time to give the final blow which would strengthen Cecily's conviction.
"Don't worry, Miss. My family will support you for this engagement." She whispered in a soft voice, almost sounding like a chant to entrance the love-struck fool sitting next to her.
Revealing that her mother could convince Marchioness Kiron led Cecily's heart rate to quicken.
"This only leaves one person who stands in your path…" Her whispers faded into a silence that engulfed the entire carriage.
Throughout their short conversation during their journey to the Palace, Elna had never once openly mentioned that Aleena Kiron was the obstacle in her path of marrying into the Kiron family.
However, even that much was enough to turn Cecily, who was now desperate to get engaged with Jacob, against Aleena Kiron.
Cecily was too busy thinking of what she should do next to achieve her goals that she had missed the sight of Elna wiping her hands which she had used to pat her earlier.
Having succeeded in her goals for the time being, Elna no longer cared for her but turned towards the window and gazed outside with a complacent look on her face.
___
Thinking of how her plan was working already, Elna's smile was filled with joy.
She would not even have to do much to bring down the one who had been going against her these days.
All she had to do was sit back and watch as Cecily dealt with Aleena while her hands were clean from the mess they created.
'Something doesn't add up…' Yvonne surmised after she had caught Elna and Cecily sharing a secret glance at each other before they smiled and turned away.
None of them knew of the secret conversation that took place between those two so it was obvious that they were wondering about the sudden camaraderie between them.
Aleena, who was seated next to Yvonne, was furious and also confused when the older girl had disregarded her words just earlier.
However, she too was quick to adjust her feelings, deciding to speak to her mother about this when she returned.
'I cannot let Cecily Yona become my sister-in-law.' She gritted her teeth, determined to never let such a thing happen to her elder brother.
While she was planning on how to bring this matter before her mother, the Jorbin triplets were unhappy that this topic had ended without much drama.
They lived in a peaceful household where nothing much happened so they had been waiting to find some entertainment when they were outside.
Sadly, their desires weren't fulfilled when both Cecily and Aleena only had a civilized conversation where no insults were thrown around, and neither did they scowl or mock the other person.
However, there was one more trait that the Jorbin triplets had that coincided with Marquess Samed.
"We all know that Miss Cecily likes Master Jacob but what about the rest?" Melissa Jorbin tossed out a question and scanned the girls seated at this table with her.
The eldest triplet's words were equivalent to throwing a pebble in quiet waters, disrupting the peace which was already dwindling at this tea party.
Yvonne's eyes widened and she almost choked on her tea but this did not attract too much attention as she was not the only one who had a similar response.
Even Cecily Yona, whose name had been used as an example was flustered because no one had ever asked such a brazen question out loud.
Melissa shrugged and did not care when she found so many pairs of widened eyes fixed on her.
The triplets had spent a lot of their time in their mother's native land where such talks were not seen as taboo.
Therefore, she had not feared while placing this absurd question before the other girls who were all around her age.
'Are young girls this bold these days?' Governess Bloom blushed and felt that the atmosphere of the tea party was heating up with this new topic.
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