NoGift

QUITE a number of grand carriages were starting to form a line on the driveway of the royal palace. Every person who came down each carriages was wearing either an elegant suit or a magnificent gown. One could easily see that it was a gathering of the creme de la creme of Albion's aristocratic society. They were all there to attend the second prince's birthday celebration.

A black carriage stopped in front of the palace's entrance. It carried the emblem of the Blackbourne family. The coachman immediately opened the door. The first one who came down was a tall youth wearing a black suit that beautifully showcased the perfect lines of his body. His silver hair was swept to the side, clearly showing the diamond ear stud on his right ear. His purple eyes were filled with indifference.

He turned towards the carriage and raised his hand, palm up. Someone laid their hand on the palm of the tall youth. Then a young woman wearing a red mermaid gown came down. The cut of the gown she was wearing perfectly showed her bountiful curves. Her red hair was piled on top of her head, showing off her swan like neck. She could easily outshine anyone, but not the young man beside her. They formed a perfect balance - one hot, one cold.

"So this is Albion's royal palace," Ruby commented once they entered.

"It isn't all that much, right?" Argent followed up.

"Totally. I've definitely seen much better."

The two looked at each other and grinned.

They reached the huge ballroom where the party would be held. The courtier announced their arrival. Once everyone inside heard the announcement of the courtier, almost all turned their heads towards the entrance of the ballroom. Argent and Ruby walked inside.

Most men couldn't help but stare at the young woman exuding with seductive charm, wondering who she might be. While all the young girls set their eyes on the beautiful duke. He might be a NoGift but being the Duke of Hanover and the founder of Silver Corporation completely made up for that flaw. In short, he's the perfect marriage partner to most of the aristocratic girls there.

Seeing the attention being given to the young duke, the first prince couldn't help but gnashed his teeth. Jasper could still remember the pain he felt when that trash crushed his-- Shit. He couldn't even say it. If one of his men didn't immediately call for a healer, then he might not really be able to father a child. He swore, he would definitely make that trash pay.

"B-Brother, you're going to b-break the glass if you hold it too tightly," said a stuttering voice beside him.

Jasper looked down and saw his younger brother. Even though it's a formal occation, he didn't even bother to fix his usually messy ice blue hair. Even the way he dressed was sloppy. One look at him and you couldn't even tell that he's actually the third prince of Albion.

Jasper sneered in disgust at this younger brother of his. "Shut up! Why are you even standing beside me?"

The third prince flinched because of his sudden outburst. Which only made Jasper even more irritated. Noelle who was standing near the two immediately came to her younger brother's defense.

"Brother, don't talk to Vale like that," she scolded.

Jasper only snorted before walking towards a group of young ladies. He doesn't even want to be in this party. Who would want to celebrate that bastard's birthday? He was only here because of their father's order. Saying that they should all be there to celebrate the birth of that bastard. It was so obvious just how much their father favored Winter that it almost made Jasper want to punch someone.

But soon, soon he would definitely get that bastard off from his high horse.

Noelle looked at her younger brother and then glanced at the newly arrived Duke of Hanover. They were both the same age and yet they were as different as night and day. Someone with his brother's pedigree should be at least confident about himself. And yet, he cowered over everything.

"Don't mind our elder brother. You know how he is," she said to Vale gently.

Vale shook his head, giving her a weak smile. "I-I d-don't mind. I know I-I could be a-annoying at times."

Noelle just sighed and decided to just look back at the Duke of Hanover. There was power in the way he carried himself that people couldn't help but give him a second glance. Then she looked at the girl walking beside the duke. She was intimately holding the duke's arm. Somehow, Noelle felt a bit disappointed because she knew she probably doesn't have any chance to get close to him like that.

On the other side of the ballroom, the first princess was accompanying the fourth prince of Xing.

Li Jun was wearing a dark blue suit that perfectly fits his slender frame. His long hair was neatly tied behind his back. He looked very much like a fine gentleman from Albion. Li Jun was actually unhappy with the suit he was wearing. Aside from the fact that he wasn't used to wearing one, he also wanted the color to be red. But the tailor vehemently disagreed when he said he wanted a suit in that color. According to the tailor a red suit would only make him look like one of the royal guards, so Li Jun didn't have a choice but to choose a different color.

He glanced back at his silent bodyguard who was wearing a simple black robe. The general was the only one here wearing a different clothing and yet he seemed to not mind it at all. Li Jun suddenly felt envious. Maybe he also should have worn his favorite red brocade robe. Then he noticed that the general's gaze was glued to a certain direction.

Li Jun followed his gaze and saw the famous Argent Blackbourne who was now currently walking together with his partner towards the dais where the King and Queen were sitting. Even at this distance, he could see how extraordinary the duke's features were. Even his sixth sister - the girl known as the first beauty of Xing - could barely even compete. But Li Jun doesn't really care about how beautiful the duke looked. He only cared about him being the founder of Silver Corporation.

Li Jun turned to the first princess. "Princess Icelyn, do you think you could make an introduction between me and the Duke of Hanover?"

There was a slight change in the princess' expression but that was only for a split second. Because she immediately showed her perfect gentle smile. "Of course."

Argent made a slight bow to the King and Queen while Ruby curtsied. "Your Majesties," they simultaneously said.

The Queen didn't bother to act polite and completely ignored the two. Being in this party was arduous enough. All her patience were already exhausted by forcing herself to attend this party. So she no longer has the patience to deal with people she doesn't like. And that included this particular duke.

The King, on the other hand, welcomed the two. "I'm glad you could come, Hanover." He turned to the young lady beside the tall youth. "And this young lady is?"

"This is Ruby McAllister, Your Majesty. The niece of Jaxon McAllister," Argent introduced.

Arthur seriously looked at the young lady upon hearing that. He knew, of course, of Jaxon McAllister. The current owner of McAllister Chamber of Commerce. The McAllister family was the most successful merchants in the whole Western continent. Jaxon McAllister was also a good friend of the former Duke of Hanover and his wife. It's no wonder that he didn't hesitate to take care of the Blackbourne twins. But it seemed that he didn't really gain a loss from doing that. After all, he received a large share from Silver Corporation. Now, it even seemed that his niece would be the next Duchess of Hanover. Truly, Jaxon McAllister was a good businessman for accomplishing such a feat.

"I hope you're enjoying your stay here, Miss McAllister," the King said.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I am," Ruby answered.

After that, the two walked towards a corner where not many people were at.

"Aurum perfectly described your King and Queen," Ruby commented once they're both alone.

"And how did my sister described them?"

"A haughty b*tch and a sly fox."

Well, that's certainly something Aurum would say.

A few seconds later, the courtier announced the arrival of the birthday celebrant and her partner. Unlike others who entered through the ballroom's entrance, the two walked down from the grand staircase leading to the ballroom.

All eyes were on the two. Aurum was wearing a beautiful white dress. Her long golden hair was adorned by small white pearls. The shoes she was wearing almost looked like it was made from glass. She looked like some magical being that descended from heaven. She perfectly matched the second prince who was wearing a white suit. His ice blue hair was swept back, showing his cold pale blue eyes. They truly looked like the perfect match.

"Now that's what I call an entrance," Ruby said.

"Aurum looks so beautiful," commented by a new voice beside them.

Argent turned his head to her side and saw Mishla Greaves who was also wearing a white suit. But unlike the second prince who was giving off a cold impression, the Earl of Brightmore just gave off a feeling of vitality. When Argent saw him not taking his eyes away from Aurum, she just chose to ignore him. She wasn't even sure when he walked up to them.

Mishla stared at Aurum. If he wasn't certain that Winter really didn't have that kind of romantic feelings towards Aurum, Mishla would probably be dying of jealousy right about now. But he was pretty certain. Because everytime his friend looked at Aurum, there wasn't even a tiny bit of change in those pair of cold eyes. Heck, Winter showed more feelings when he was looking at the Duke of Hanover than when he was interacting with Aurum. But still, he couldn't help but feel a bit envious.

Because of the arrival of the second prince, the orchestra started to play music for the first dance.

Winter bowed to Aurum and raised his hand. Aurum smiled and put her hand on the prince's palm. Then the two walked towards the center of the dance floor. Winter held Aurum's waist while she put her hand on his shoulder. Then the two started dancing to the tune of the music.

Argent bowed to Ruby. "May I have this dance?"

If Ruby was any other girl, she probably would be blushing by now. But still, she couldn't stop her heart from skipping a little bit. Because seriously, who wouldn't? "Yes, you may."

While the two walked towards the dance floor, Argent smiled as if she was up to no good. All he could think about was;

[Let the show begin!]