Silver Lining Yesterday - Chapter 21
The once elegant banquet had now turned into a rowdy affair, where indulgence was the name of the game.
The opera singer, who had once performed so gracefully, was now laughing uproariously at a card game, while esteemed guests from all over exchanged lewd whispers, puffing away on cigarettes until their minds were hazy.
Even the sweet strains of chamber music were drowned out by the ruckus in the hall. It was then that a loud blast of a trumpet cut through the noise.
“The eldest son of the Heidegger family, Nix Heidegger!”
The voice introducing the new guest was barely heard over the chaotic hall.
Guests, who had been too busy laughing among themselves, were slowly beginning to recognize the name Nix Heidegger and were taken aback.
The opera singer, who had been happily immersed in the game, dropped her cards in shock and stood up.
Gentlemen, who had been lounging on the sofas with drugged cigarettes, staggered to their feet, only to collapse in an undignified heap.
As the laughter died down, the crowd began to stir with whispers, watching eagerly as the door opened slowly.
Curiosity, greed, and disdain mixed in the eyes of the guests as they observed the long-lost heir’s arrival.
Under the gleaming chandelier lights, a pair entered.
The man, with long legs, elegantly crossing the red carpet, was Nix Heidegger.
His neatly parted hair, a stark contrast to his usual unruly style, highlighted his sharp features. The deeper look in his eyes, his defined jawline, and his noticeably bulkier physique signaled that he had shed the youthful appearance of his past and fully matured into adulthood.
And beside him stood a partner no one had expected, a woman with tightly curled hair cascading to her waist.
Her slender figure appeared even more delicate next to Nix Heidegger’s towering presence. She wore a tunic dress, slightly out of fashion, but still beautiful. The deep blue fabric of her skirt shimmered as it caught the light, adding to the ethereal aura of her graceful movements.
However, what truly captured the attention was something else entirely.
The woman’s face was partially concealed by an ornate mask.
The onlookers stared at the mask that delicately wrapped around her jaw, wondering what kind of face could be hidden beneath.
The only feature visible, sparkling even in the chandelier’s light, were her striking blue eyes.
“Who could she be? Is she Lady Greenwood who was involved in a scandal with Colonel Heidegger recently?”
“General Greenwood dotes on his daughter. I heard when the scandal broke with Colonel Heidegger, he was so furious he sued the newspapers.”
“Could she be the new scandal partner? A lesser-known actress, perhaps?”
“Isn’t this scene oddly familiar?”
Guests whispered behind their elaborate fans, exchanging thoughts in hushed tones.
The pair walking on the red carpet looked oddly familiar.
“Didn’t Natalia Langdon wear a similar mask at a party recently?”
“The outfits are completely different, though. More like when Catherine Grimshaw was invited to the palace…”
“Wait a second.”
A sense of ominous déjà vu spread like smoke.
“That’s right, that photo! It’s exactly like that photo! Well, it’s just like the one of Jean Rohrbach and Ernest Garland…!”
The crowd was engulfed in shock, as if struck from behind.
The color photograph that had been released at the World Expo many years ago had caused a nationwide sensation.
Though the fashion of that time had long passed, the impact of their appearance had not been forgotten. If they looked so alike, the story had taken a new turn.
It was a well-known fact that the only son of the ‘lovers of the century’ resembled his missing father.
But what about the woman beside him?
People stared in silence, unable to conceal their fascination with her dark, elegantly curled hair, the extravagant mask, and the striking blue eyes that shone through.
The mysterious woman embodied the beauty of Jean Rohrbach, something everyone longed for but could never truly attain.
The noisy banquet hall, once filled with revelry, was suddenly pulled into a deathly silence.
Drunkards who had been rubbing their eyes muttered the names of the past in a hushed tone.
The once modest birthday party held at the Steel Fortress, over 20 years ago, had long since crumbled, yet the essence of that day was fully recreated in the current Satin.
The sound of a pair of footsteps was the only noise in the dead silence.
Nix, maintaining his indifference to the attention, inhaled deeply for the first time.
Wrapped in tension that settled like thin ice, he raised his head, only for something to suddenly fly toward him with force.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
