The Vindication Gents

Chapter 2.30

Christine Rovski’s POV

“Now, enough of this. I still have a reputation to uphold,” Antonio said as he went to guide me to the chair again. I was laughing but my heart was breaking right now. I did not want to go to the ball. All I ever wanted was here, in my room.

“Now, bella, you don’t need to pout. It will not look good on you.”

“I still don’t want to do this,” I said as I was crossing my hands in front of my chest. Call me childish, but hey, at least I know what I want in life. Tony chuckled at my stance before he turned to look me in the eyes.

“I will be at the ball. If you create scandal, maybe your father will let you go with me,” he said as he was smiling at me. My eyes perked up when I heard that idea.

“Promise?”

“I swear on my life, my love,” he said before he kissed my lips. I sighed in the content before he went to turn the chair around as he was looking at my reflection.

“Now, let’s make you shine like a tulip,” he whispered before I was getting ready for the ball.

Here goes nothing...

Antonio was looking at my hair as if a bird had nested in it. I smiled sheepishly before he went to put so many ingredients in them that I didn’t even know what it was. I was majoring in Fashion Designing, not Cosmetology. He went to look at my hairstyles that he had arranged for me. He said that it would follow the natural shape of my face to make it look more elegant.

“This way, I don’t have to search for you in the sea of people,” he joked as he smirked at me through the mirror. I blushed as I know what he meant by scandal tonight.

“Now, onto the makeup,” he said as he went to get the foundation, concealer and other stuff that he put on my face like I was a cake. I felt like I was going to the Chinese Opera afterward.

“Isn’t this too much, Tony?” I asked as I was closing my eyes when he was putting on some eyeshadow.

“Hush, bella. Nothing was ever too much,” he said, and with that, I was silent the whole process.

“Now, see for yourself,” he said as he turned me toward the mirror. I did not dare to look at myself before I was gasping at myself.

It was gorgeous. Flawless that I cannot find the words for it. It was too much. I think I might cry.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Not to your standard, bella?” He asked as I was sniffing before I turned to look at me.

“How could you?” I said as I was trying to control my eyes. I know how Tony gets when his masterpiece was being ruined by my tears.

“How could I do that?”

“Do this when you know I will be going off with someone else,” I said as I was running from him. I went to the window when I was holding back my tears before I broke the dam.

“Christina—“

“Don’t. You know what just…just don’t. I need to be alone. It seems that my last resort to get you to run away with me has vanished. I wish you a happy life, Tony,” I said as I was looking outside. I saw the reflection of his jaw on his face tick before he nodded at me.

“And you, Princess Christine,” he said before he went to get all the tools that he used on me in the makeup bag that he brought with him.

“I have pulled the dress in the bathroom. You can change it before the ball starts. I also recommended that you use Aqua Kiss Lace perfume so it would go nicely with your dress,” he said as I nodded.

“Thank you,” I said timidly before he was out of the door. I was holding onto the window before I was crying without tears. It was a silent cry as I knew my life would change forever as I let my love walk out on me.

Now, I think all my rebellious spirit has been broken.

It was one hour before the ball and I was trying to get my dignity to pull this off. I was ready to face my Fate as I went into the bathroom before I saw it. The same violet dress that I put on when Tony helped me with the zippers.

I sighed at the memory as I was touching the dress. It was lace and sheer but it was conservative enough. I saw that Tony had made some modifications to the dress. The length was longer as it would be grazing below my knees and the sleeves were 3/4 long.

“Oh, Tony. Even now you still care for me,” I whispered before I asked the maid to help me to get into that dress. I think I should keep my bra and panties tonight. I don’t want to be bold like the night when I went to the nightclub.

“Here goes nothing,” I said as I was ready to go out there and surrendered to my father’s will. The door opened as I was putting on my wedges before the maid tied the violet mask over my eyes. I wore purple lipstick as if I was representing a purple tulip on the ball.

“Announcing, Her Royal Highness, Princess Christine Rovski of Hungary,” the announcer said before I stepped onto the balcony of the stairs. The guests were murmuring something because they never knew that a princess had been born and, right now, she was 25 years old.

Well, a lot of explanation to be done tonight, I suppose.

I went down the stairs as my brother, Eddy, was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. I smiled at him as he took my hand and we were moving to greet the crowd.

“I was surprised to see you here, brother,” I said as I was whispering to him while I was looking at the crowd. I needed to find Tony but he was not around.

“And I was surprised that you would be getting married tomorrow. Do you know that I have to fly out from Norway to be here?” He hissed at me as I was patting his arm.

“If you have anything to say, you will bring that up with our father,” I said as I was greeting some more guests. I was searching for the familiar brown hair and that lean, toned body but it was nowhere to be found.

“Maybe I have danced with the Princess, Prince Eddy?” A gentleman appeared in front of us. He was black-haired, not the person that I was looking for, as he also spoke Hungarian fluently.

“She’s all yours, sir,” my brother said as he handed my hand to the gentleman. In my understanding, Eddy would never give me to someone that he did not know.

Maybe he did know this guy and we don’t even know each other!

I smiled at him as I took his hand. When I did, electricity was running through my veins. Huh, that’s weird. I only had that when I first touched Tony.

This was a mistake.

“Shall we dance, Your Highness?” He asked as I just nodded, still thinking about the electric pulse when we touched. I have to get to know this guy. He might not be so bad after all. We went to the center of the dance floor as the musicians started to play Spring Waltz.

I held out my hand as he took it in his right and my right hand was on his chest. His left hand was around my waist as my violet satin dress was hanging dangerously for everyone to see my shape under the dress.

“You know, I never approve of my betrothed wearing such a scandalous dress,” he said as he was twirling me around. I rolled my eyes as my back was against his hard chest. I can sense his s****l prowess below my butt.

“And why would you care about it? You were forced to marry me, remember?” I asked as I was being spun around to see his black mask. His eyes were concealed but I think they were brown.

Like someone I knew has it.

He chuckled before he spun me out before taking me back in. We were close, as I could sense the hot breath lingering between us.

“And I say that I was not forced to marry you. What would your other conclusion be?” He asked as he was arching his eyebrows at me.

“Well, I’m the princess, I can give you the money and the title that you.”

“And if I say to you that I have a reputation and I don’t need yours?”

“Well, you were being blackmailed by the King then,” I said as I was trying to put some distance between us. But he would not let me budge at all.

“Ah, a good choice threatened, but I think it’s more like I’m the one that threatened him,” he said as he chuckled. I blinked at him as he was wearing his lazy smile at me.

Dear God, I have married a murderer.

“Did you threaten to kill him?” I asked in a hiss and I knew I didn’t want to get any attention from us. He laughed genuinely as people stared at us. He loved to get attention from everyone.

“Well, not that, but I think he has a debt to be settled with me and it was you,” he said before he went to dip me to finish the dance before everyone clapped. I was glaring at my fiancé before he dragged me out of the ballroom and went into the garden. We stopped when we were at the fountain as he turned to look at me before he moved to remove my mask.

“Hey!”

“Take it off.”

“What? No, why would I do that?” I asked him at his peculiar request.

“Come on, Christina, just do it already,” he said before I stopped from getting away from him. I turned sharply at him as he was smirking at me.

“Wait, what did you call me?” I asked as he was clearing his throat before he spoke in the language that I had heard many times before.

“Christina, my love, why don’t you show that masterpiece to your fiancé to admire, hmm?” Tony said as he removed the mask, smirking at me.

Damn this person for tricking me!