Page 119 of The Last De Loughrey Dynasty

My gaze wandered down his champagne-gold suit. I was glad it wasn’t shiny, otherwise, any light that might hit him tonight could blind everyone in the room. In contrast to Nathaniel, Jesse wore no waistcoat above his cream-coloured shirt, just a tie around his neck. The sides of his suit jacket were embroidered with a pattern of vines in a darker gold tone than his clothes. The yarn used to design the vines looked so vibrant that it might as well have been straight sunlight shining through Jesse’s jacket. And I was certain that this was exactly Naomi’s intention.

We stopped in front of the girls’ room, and Nathaniel knocked, clearing his throat before answering Jesse. “My guess is that she either dragged my grandmother or aunt with her, and I hope for the second, since my grandmother doesn’t approve of my girlfriend.”

“How can someone not approve of Maisie?” Jesse asked, surprised. “She’s like the sweetest person on earth. That’s ridiculous. I’ll defend that girl with my life if it comes down to it. I’ll even write some Italian insults on the inside of my palm for that grim old woman to realise what a real rude English person looks like. And that person definitely doesn’t have short blonde hair and dress like a whimsical prairie milkmaid.”

“Besides that, my grandmother would have probably hated any girl I brought home. You’re not even fully English, Jesse. But I appreciate the thought. I’m grateful Maisie got you,” Nathaniel replied.

“Blimey, my English is better than my Spanish. And thank you, Nate, I’m happy too that Maisie got you,” Jesse said with a grin.

The door finally opened slightly, and Naomi peeked through, revealing only her face, which had been painted with dark makeup that highlighted her eyes. Her lips were painted a deep red, and her silky black hair fell in soft waves around her shoulders. Tiny little stars, formed from diamond-like crystals, were splayed out from her middle part down to her loose ends, where they grew more subtle.

“About time you opened that door, now let us in,” I said, wanting to see Doe. We only had a few minutes together before we had to pretend that friends were all we were. But that was fine. It was just for tonight. One last time. The only thing that pained me was that I wouldn’t be the one dancing with her. It was something we had known for weeks, and it was better this way. I didn’t want my father to meet her.

Naomi looked like she was considering our request before shaking her head, dead serious. “Doe is still helping Maisie with her hair. Gentlemen can very well wait for their ladies.” She pulled away from the door and slammed it shut.

“Aren’t you going to say anything about our suits?” I called out, and to my surprise, she opened the door again—only a gap.

Naomi looked us up and down. “Well… where’s my thank you? Those suits are ethereal, and perhaps they look only good because I, personally, designed them for the people wearing them. You look good, boys.”

We thanked her together, though it wasn’t for lack of wanting to thank her inside the room and not through a door.

“Can we come inside now?” Nathaniel asked impatiently.

Naomi sighed, “mmh…”

“It’s fine, Naomi, my hair’s done!” We heard Mai call from inside the room, her head popping up next to Naomi’s. She pushed the door open completely, revealing her stunning dress first.

The dress Naomi designed for her was oddly reminiscent of the colours of Venus. It had its place next to Mercury. The cut of the dress reminded me of Belle’s dress fromBeauty and the Beast. Her shoulders were bare, and the tulle hugging her arms reminded me of mist circling around her. Next to Naomi’s tight-cut dress, Mai’s looked massive, but nonetheless beautiful.

It was all Mai.

Nathaniel stepped forward, taking her hand and placing a gentle kiss on the back of it.

“Do I look like the most beautiful celestial body in the galaxy?” she asked, smiling teasingly at him. Her makeup was soft pink, and the front of her light hair was pinned at the sides in a swirl with golden clips, looking like a delicate version of the Venus symbol.

Nathaniel straightened himself in front of her small figure. “You have always been the prettiest and most precious body in my galaxy.”

My gaze wandered to Naomi, who wore an elegant black dress that was less extravagant and puffy than Mai’s. At leasttwo thousand rhinestones were splayed out from the sharp V-cut neckline. As always, she wore matching black gloves. While her dress seemed utterly common for any type of ball, everything changed when she demonstratively spun around once to show off the tulle cape sewn to the back of the dress. Every constellation I could think of was delicately embroidered in silver, matching the jewellery she wore.

Her dress matched mine too well. It was like we symbolised the same thing, with the difference that my suit was a deep blue that could be mistaken for black, and the details of the constellations were embroidered onto the jacket I wore, with a crescent moon clip on my tie.

Jesse had called my suit boring in comparison to theirs, but I appreciated what Naomi had done. I preferred a simple, neat concept for everything in my life—clothes included.

The suit was perfect for me.

“You look stunning, Nao, really, I can’t think of a word that could capture your beauty,” Jesse mumbled nervously, and if I wasn’t mistaken, he blushed.

Naomi lifted an eyebrow. “In this moment?”

“Always,” he corrected.

And after years, it was the first time I saw Naomi’s stern mask falter for a moment, allowing her cheeks to colour a soft peachy tone.

“Mrs Fanning is going to be feral if we don’t keep going soon,” Doe’s voice came from behind the two girls, standing next to her desk where several of her architectural sketches were hung up.

And when I saw her, I think I forgot how to breathe.

Her lips formed a cheeky smile. “You’re turning blue, Archer,” she teased as I took in the sight of her.

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