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As the door of the tinted car opened, she immediately saw the bright flashes. Zen gave her a hand, helping her get out of the car under the many cameras. Reporters stood behind the high iron gates, trying to catch her through the lens. The red strapless dress was not too short, reaching to her knees with a cut-out on the side: it fit her perfectly, outlining her figure and slim waist, showing her collarbones and white delicate skin. White heels gave her a few inches, making her almost as tall as Zen. Glittering earrings and a necklace completed the look, as did the white fur jacket she slung over her shoulders. A small white shining clutch also accentuated the look. A golden ring with a diamond on her ring finger drew much attention, glinting in the rays. Her hair was gathered into a low bun, a few strands of it framing her face in the front, sometimes tucked behind her ear.
She knew they were about to be broadcast live, so Zen had planned her exit in advance so that everyone would see her in all her glory under the flashes of the cameras and the beams of artificial light so that everyone would know that she was a diamond that had been pulled from the bottom of the ocean. Cameras captured the man's bright smile, the way he embraced his fiancée , shutting her away from the tenacious photographers, and introducing her to his acquaintances and associates, the same guests at this party.
Shirayuki glittered and shone like a bright star: her red hair and similarly colored dress attracted attention. Reporters were eager to take pictures of her, asking many questions, while the girl held onto her fiancé's elbow with strong fingers. Shirayuki sighed in relief as Zen led her inside the building, waving off the insistent people.
The hall was lit by large gold chandeliers since there were many decorations covered in gold all around, and everything glittered around. The round tables were filled with all kinds of food, glasses glistened under the light, and cutlery was cleaned to a shine. The hall was filled with people of high society, each one sporting jewelry or accessories whose number of zeros would have caused a shock. Shirayuki looked around and couldn't contain her admiration and excitement: she was a little scared since this was the first time she was attending such an event as Zen's fiancée. On top of that, she noticed the interested glances and saw them whispering among themselves. It couldn't help but make her uneasy. Zen, who was standing next to her, noticed her hands shaking and pulled her closer to him.
“Shirayuki, aren't you cold?” he leaned slightly towards her, smiling softly. Zen was quite calm, though his hands were shaking slightly too, he was still more confident.
“No, it's pretty warm here.” she answered him, smiling. She squeezed his hand tighter, looking around for familiar faces.
Suddenly someone poked her on the shoulder and Shirayuki looked back as her eyes immediately rounded, filled with joy and relief, and a wide smile appeared on her face.
“Kiki!” Shirayuki immediately hugged her friend, glad that at least she was here. Hisame immediately approached them, smiling softly. “Hisame-san, good to see you here too!”
“And I'm glad to meet you, Shirayuki-san, Zen-san.” as soon as Shirayuki let go of Kiki's embrace, Hisame fixed a blonde loose strand behind her ear.
“Shirayuki, this dress really suits you.” Kiki smiled at her, looking her over from head to toe. A slight blush appeared on Shirayuki's cheeks. “It's like a ruby shining.”
“Oh, thank you so much! You look gorgeous too!” Shirayuki smiled broadly, taking her hands, but the blush was still on her face. Kiki's light purple dress was strappy, the length below her knees. A gold ring flaunted on her ring finger, earrings gleaming under the artificial light. The white sandals had small heels, so Shirayuki was the same height as Kiki. Her golden hair fell in waves to her shoulders. Light makeup accentuated her natural beauty.
“You chose this outfit together with Harutо-sama, didn't you?” Kiki asked, taking another look at the girl. Shirayuki nodded her head.
“Honestly, I wanted something more private, but Haruto-sama said it would enthuse a lot of people and that I would leave a strong impression.” Shirayuki smiled awkwardly, remembering the woman's words as they picked out the dress.
“And the choice is truly good because you are an influential person now, and first impressions should be vivid.” Hisame smiled at her and then began to look around. “Well, it looks like the evening is about to begin.”
He looked to the other end of the hall; Kiki, Shirayuki, and Zen followed him: there, with a microphone in hand and wearing a black suit, stood a man, his hair gathered into a high ponytail and a soft smile on his face.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! I’m, Eisetsu Rugilia, pleased to see you at this party! Thank you all for coming, please enjoy your time.” applause filled the hall. Eisetsu was still smiling softly, his eyes rounded for a few seconds, but then his usual smile reappeared on his face and he waved. Shirayuki, noticing that he was looking at her, waved back.
“And he seemed to still be the same.” Zen smirked as he saw Eisetsu and then shifted his gaze to Shirayuki, smiling softly. “Shall we go?”
Shirayuki just nodded, letting him guide her in the right direction. Many people came to them, some to say hello, and others asked many questions, but they were all clearly evaluating her. It had been clear from the start, but Shirayuki hadn't expected it to be... So obvious? Like, they weren't even trying to hide their interest: the alphas were clearly staring at her exposed skin - but Shirayuki held firm and wasn't stymied, trying to ignore it - some burned their gaze into her neck as if they were trying to find something and she knew what exactly they were trying to find. The omegas were more welcoming, and Shirayuki felt more comfortable around them, if only because they weren't trying to crush her with their aura. Shirayuki didn't quite understand why the alphas did that, but apparently, they wanted to show their other side, more dominant, but honestly, it all felt like kindergarten. Zen was surprisingly calm, though Shirayuki could see that he was barely restraining himself from saying a few affectionate words. She only smiled charmingly, the last thing she needed was to get into a fight just by showing up in front of people in her new role.
***
Sighing heavily, Shirayuki looked at her reflection, wiping her wet hands with a napkin. She moved closer to the mirror, fixing her hair slightly, examined herself once more, and left the bathroom, remembering to take her clutch with her. It's been about two hours since they got here, and she felt a little dizzy and she really wanted to go home. The other guests at this party were clearly more energetic than her, going to keep having fun. Honestly, Shirayuki got tired of talking for the evening, but every now and then five or six people came up to her and dragged her into all the 'important' conversations usual for such elites. Thankfully Zen was with her, so she tried to act on her observations of her fiancé.
Once back in the hall, Shirayuki scoped out the ashy top among the huge number of people. Zen's hair was as unusual as her red hair, but he wasn't tall as Mitsuhide, so it was a bit of a head-scratcher to find him among so many people. Squeezing through the small groups that had gathered, she finally found him: he was standing near the tall open doors, holding his phone in his hands, clearly texting with someone. Shirayuki wasted no time and quickly approached him, taking his hand.
“A strange place you've chosen to wait for me.” Shirayuki smiled at him, snuggling lightly against him.
“Sorry.” he tucked the phone into his trousers pocket, smiling back. “You must be tired, and I was looking for a quiet place to get some privacy.”
He squeezed her hand tighter and pulled her through the doors. As soon as they were outside, Shirayuki shuddered, feeling the cold wind, but the cold was suddenly gone when she saw the garden: there was a large fountain in the middle, the water glistened in the moonlight, there were various bushes of flowers around and Shirayuki could not keep herself from approaching the flowers. She scrutinized each flower, her eyes sparkling and she became more animated. Zen looked at her with a smile: it was very stuffy inside and he could see that Shirayuki was losing energy with each conversation. When he found out that there was a beautiful garden with various flowers, he immediately asked permission to stay there for about 15 minutes to get some fresh air and energy before returning.
Shirayuki, like a little child, approached each bush with enthusiasm, muttering something to herself. Zen only watched her as he sat down on a bench in a niche hedge, making sure there was no dust on it before he did so. After watching, Shirayuki walked over to him and wanted to sit next to him, but Zen stopped the girl, pulled off his jacket and sat the girl down on it, even though the omega protested. Shirayuki rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. She felt Zen put his arm around her waist, pulling her closer.
“When can we go home?” Shirayuki whispered, feeling sleep come over her, causing her to straighten up and snuggle against him.
“I think in half an hour, Eisetsu wanted to talk to you about something after the party was over, didn't he?” Zen turned to face her and tucked some red strands behind her ear.
“You're right, I'd already forgotten about that.” she sighed heavily and nuzzled into his neck. “Thanks for reminding me.”
Alpha stroked her head, leaving a light kiss on the top of her head. Honestly, he was ready to pick her up and go home by now, Obi was waiting for them in the car park, but they could get in trouble for that with his brother and parents, who were looking forward to this evening and had ordered him to sit out until the end. He didn't particularly like that prospect, but he couldn't refuse either.
“Are you not cold?” he pulled her closer to him and stroked her back as if he was trying to warm her up.
“Not at all.” Zen could feel her warm breath. She squirmed like a little kitten, and Zen hugged her tighter. “You've noticed, too, haven't you, that some people avoid us?”
“I thought they'd at least come over to say hello, but I didn't expect total ignorance…” Zen answered, looking ahead at the moon appearing among the clouds, illuminating the garden with its bright light. “Well, there must be a reason for that; unfortunately, we can't read people's minds.”
“It would make our lives easier.” the girl giggled, raising her head. She pulled away from him slightly, taking his hands. “All right, these aren't the only parties. Mother said there would be a few more dinner parties shortly.”
Zen sighed heavily in response, making a grimace of dissatisfaction. Shirayuki laughed, though she understood him perfectly, attending these evenings was a must.
“Let's stay here a little longer and go back, otherwise we'll make a mess.” Zen smiled at her.
“Maybe not, but Mitsuhide will be worried if he doesn't find us in the hall.” a smile appeared on the girl's face.
“That's for sure,” Zen smirked as he pictured Mitsuhide's face, looking around every corner in a panic. “But I think he'll find us quickly.”
Zen looked towards the building and froze; a smile appeared on his face and he turned to the girl again, pointing in that direction. Shirayuki looked at him incomprehensibly, but when she looked at the tall doors, she smiled and waved: there was Mitsuhide, who sighed in relief when he saw them and waved back.
“It looks like it's time to go back.” not particularly happy, Zen said, but he got up from the bench. Shirayuki only smiled and followed him, handing his jacket to Zen, making sure it was free of dust and dirt, and taking her clutch.
She had learned a lot during the evening and was convinced that even after all her hard work, there would be people who waited for her to make the first move. She would not act yet, it was too early, and let these people show themselves, they were not playing hide and seek. Before the announcement of the engagement, she had already met a few people from high society, which could make it easier for her to communicate with the others and make good connections, but she knew very well that it would be difficult, that not everyone would be friendly initially, but she was ready for it, with Zen and friends, Izana and her father-in-law along with her mother-in-law, Eisetsu and the Bergat brothers by her side. She will definitely get over it because she is not alone.