Jack hesitated, realizing that he wasn't Jack at the moment, but his true self, Kevin.
"...Sorry," he said calmly. "I thought you were somebody else."
"What..." The lady muttered, then shrugged.
In that moment, Jack couldn't help but notice the woman's shoe. One heel was cracked clean through; the damage was severe enough that it was impossible to tell whether it had happened during their collision or earlier. Either way, it looked ruined. Walking in it again would take nothing short of a miracle.
"But… Are you alright?" he asked with a polite smile. Before the woman could answer, his gaze dropped to her feet, and he continued, "And, this might be rude to ask, but is your foot going to be alright?"
She followed his line of sight and only then noticed the damage. One heel hung at an awkward angle, barely attached to the shoe at all.
"Oh," the lady let out a soft breath. "How did that even happen?" She asked herself.
A second later, she slipped both shoes off. Jack was left stunned, momentarily taken aback by the sight of a noblewoman casually removing her footwear right in front of him. Yet, strangely enough, it didn't feel improper — just practical. All he could do was watch as she handled the situation herself.
"That should do it," she said, straightening up and settling her weight onto her bare feet.
Fortunately, her dress was long enough. When she released the fabric, it fell back into place, covering her completely and leaving little exposed, and Jack, to have noticed the lady's feet in the first place, it was purely by chance, nothing more.
"Anyway..." She continued, looking at Jack with a blank expression. "Who are you?" She asked.
"My name is Kevin, and who might you be, my lady?" Jack introduced himself politely.
"My lady?" The lady echoed with a short chuckle, "Don't make me laugh, and please, drop the polite act while you're at it. I just saw you acting like a commoner a few seconds ago, and trying to sound noble now won't get you anywhere."
She waved the moment aside. "Ignoring that, I'm Lio–" She caught herself and cleared her throat. "I'm the second lady of the royal family of Vikii. You may call me St. Alice."
St. Alice, huh? First time hearing that name, but was she about to say that she was Liora? I might be imagining things, but somehow, this lady's voice and some of her weird speech patterns just remind me of Liora..., or maybe she is Liora, but just doesn't want people to know?
But if that's what's going on here, it doesn't explain the fact that she's a noble of royal blood...,
Then again, her work station always smelled like perfume, at first I imagined that it could have been some nobles coming to buy meat themselves, but the scent was too strong to have been coming from people who only appear once in a while. And if I recall correctly, nobles don't buy meat themselves; they usually send their attendants or just order it through a letter.
Jack smiled faintly.
"You're right, I'm a commoner. And to be honest, I didn't mean to sound rude earlier; it was just a slip of the tongue. Still, since you're royalty, I'll do my best to act natural and to help however I can."
"So you're Kevin... You kinda sound like someone I'm looking for," the lady said, stepping closer.
"Oh? How so?" Jack asked.
"Your voice, it has this murder edge, just like his." Standing in front of him, she continued, looking at Jack's face with a piercing intensity. "By the way... Have you seen a person called Jack?"
Jack swallowed, shifting his gaze to the lady and locking their bright blue eyes.
"No, I haven't seen him yet, but I heard he was supposed to be in the kitchen today, so you should try checking there."
The lady blinked, then let out a soft sigh. "You haven't seen him either, huh?" She murmured, stepping aside. "He's not in the kitchen... I thought I might find him if I looked carefully, but I guess luck isn't on my side these days."
What does she mean by 'if she looked carefully'? I mean, I'm right in front of her, but I can't just tell her that it's me... So, I need to convince her that she might find me if she looked somewhere else.
"Don't beat yourself up over something like this… I'm sure you'll find him," Jack said, pausing for a moment before slowly swiveling to face her, then gave a small, encouraging nod. "Have you already checked for him at the event?"
"No."
"Then try looking for him there," he said, his gaze drifting toward the door briefly.
Earlier, Melissa told Jack to wait for her in the room at the far end of the sixth corridor, and that room just happened to be right next to Jack and the lady's collision sight.
Jack had other plans before waiting for Melissa, like finding Nyx to borrow some makeup, but with the current situation unfolding, that now seemed impossible.
"You're right, that never even crossed my mind," the lady said with a smile, "Thanks... But you'll be coming with me just in case."
Jack could only chuckle; he knew that if he wanted to find Nyx, the lady was his only guide to the grand hall of the mansion, and that place just happened to be the same place Nyx was... including the fact that he was lost all that time.
***
Some minutes later, just outside Sil Bernard's mansion, a group of ladies prepared to climb into a horse-drawn carriage when a figure suddenly dashed past them, snatching their purses before anyone could react.
"Stop! thief!" One of the ladies cried, her voice was sharp and panicked as she pointed toward the fleeing figure. The others gasped, some clutched their skirts, while others shouted in alarm.
***
A few more minutes passed.
Jack and the lady were strolling down the grand hall while searching for the figure called Jack. At least, that's how it appeared. In truth, Jack was looking for Nyx, while the lady was busy keeping up a smile to appear cheerful to the other nobles around them.
Jack's eyes kept drifting across the hall, lingering on the noblewomen in their simple dresses, yet no matter where he looked, he couldn't spot his sister.
Meanwhile, countless women's gazes kept falling on him. Some giggled as his eyes passed by, others smiled shyly in his direction, and a few ducked behind their friends, too embarrassed to be seen.
This effect wasn't limited to the young ladies; even some in their forties and fifties seemed subtly caught by Jack's presence. Or rather, Keven's charm.
"Who's that handsome gentleman?" A few whispered among themselves with curiosity and admiration lacing in their voices.
Suddenly, a young Vikii approached them. "Hey, what are you doing here?" she asked, directing her question at St. Alice, her aunt.
Young Vikii's expression remained unchanged; her face looked as dead as when she just arrived.
"Selena?" St. Alice uttered, looking at the approaching St. Selena.