Total pages in book: 207
Estimated words: 196971 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 985(@200wpm)___ 788(@250wpm)___ 657(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 196971 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 985(@200wpm)___ 788(@250wpm)___ 657(@300wpm)
The Marquis di Lunare had nodded at them. It was a story they would tell their children and grandchildren, and oh, how popular they’d be.
Inside the tourism office, pandemonium among locals erupted, having realized who was in their midst. Their excitement was contagious, and the tourists in the lobby asked excitedly about Ilie.
It was all bothersome and even deafening, since otherworlders like Ilie Marcovici possessed senses a thousand times more sensitive than those of humans.
He walked straight to reception, saying, “I have a meeting with Lady Fleur Orpheline. Where may I find her?” He was lying, of course, but he knew the reception wouldn’t even consider verifying his claim. In their kingdom, noblemen were always right.
The bespectacled secretary stammered her reply. She was unable to think straight, having never imagined she’d come face to face with the Marquis di Lunare. And oh, he was so much more seductive than how the papers described him.
As Ilie turned towards the stairs, all the women in the lobby followed him with their starry-eyed gazes.
The second floor of the tourism’s office consisted of several classrooms, partitioned with glass walls to allow for spectators. He located Lady Fleur in one of them, and with his heightened hearing, Ilie had no problems listening in as his heartkeeper’s youngest sister oriented the tourists about Asphodel.
“Hello, everyone, I’m Lady Fleur Orpheline, a volunteer here at the tourism office. It’s my great pleasure to welcome you to our city.” She gestured to her dress, saying, “The first thing we’ll discuss is our mode of attire, which as you can see is probably not what most of you are used to. This is a non-negotiable aspect of your visit to the kingdom, but I hope that instead of seeing it as a prohibition, you’ll think of it as an opportunity to experience our culture.”
Well put, he thought. No wonder she was considered to be the communications expert.
“Prior to boarding the ferry, you were scanned for any modern communication devices. Please know that even if you were able to find a way to sneak your phone in, it still wouldn’t work here.” She gave them a charmingly sheepish smile, saying, “Let’s just say the signal’s extremely bad.”
One of the tourists raised his hand. “I have a question.”
“Milady,” Fleur said sweetly. “As the daughter of a baron, I’m to be addressed as ‘milady.’ Of course, I’d rather you say Fleur, The Prettiest Girl in the World, but—-” She gave the tourists a pretty little shrug. “We must learn to cope.”
Her audience laughed.
She looked expectantly at the man who spoke earlier.
An infatuated look on his face, he said obediently, “I have a question, milady.”
Fleur clapped her hands in delight. “Oh, that’s wonderful!” She rewarded him with a smile and then shared it with the rest of the tourists, murmuring, “I hope you understand that you won’t mind we’re all so formal here. Again, it’s all a matter of perspective. If you will, just pretend you’re like Alice, and you’ve fallen into a rabbit hole that’s transported you to the land of fairytales.” She did a little twirl, and the skirts of her pink gown twirled around her.
Ilie looked at the tourists, and he was amused and impressed to see everyone had fallen under her spell.
The orientation ended twenty minutes later, and Fleur was the last to come out of the classroom. She curtsied upon seeing him, murmuring, “Good afternoon, milord.”
He bowed. “Good afternoon, milady.”
An older woman came forward then, and Fleur introduced her to Ilie, explaining, “Miss Margaret is my companion.”
Ilie greeted the other woman pleasantly, and Miss Margaret let out a girlish giggle.
Fleur snapped her fan open and covered her mouth so she could grin. Miss Margaret was normally prudish, but she had suspected her companion would be no match for the marquis’ seductive airs.
And she was right, Fleur thought, grinning again. Wait until she told Soleil about this.
She glanced at the Marquis, asking cheekily, “Are you looking for my sister?”
“Will you tell me where she is?”
“Of course.” Mischief danced in her eyes as she added, “But only if you tell me something first.”
Ilie had to smile. “Are you actually trying to blackmail...me?”
Fleur let her eyes go wide. “I have no idea what you’re saying, milord.” She gestured to the stairs. “Shall we? The tourism office has a beautiful garden at the back.”
And so they walked, and while surrounded by tourists and workers, they restricted themselves to pure pleasantries.
But when they reached the garden, with Miss Margaret walking a small but proper distance behind them, Fleur asked flatly, “Will you have other women even when my sister’s your heartkeeper?”
Ilie choked. He had not expected that at all.
Fleur looked up at him, her gaze serious. “Soleil was fifteen when she first saw you.”
He was stunned. He’d never imagined she had known about him for that long.