V

QIU SHENG YI’S POV

I called one of the guards over, “See that girl over there? What colour is her dress?”

The guard looked over, “Pink? No, it’s lighter than pink. Peach-like colour? But it looks more–“ I looked at him in disbelief. “Enough, go back to your spot.”

I was planning on introducing myself to her. Finally someone who can take my boredom out. I was about to run off but my father cleared his throat, stopping me from doing so. I looked over to him and slowly returned to his side.

“You do not want me to cut your credit cards do you?” I glared at him, “Then behave.”

“OH MR. QIU!” A lady’s voice caused me to walk over to my father who was enjoying his cup of wine pleasantly.

“Mrs. Wu, it is a pleasure to have you and your wonderful daughters here!”

“Oh good gracious, this is a spectacular event you set up prime minister.”

“With the help of my son, everything is proceeding smoothly.”

“Allow me to introduce you to my two beautiful daughters, Rainie and Reen.”

Rainie who was wearing a brown and gold big ball gown smiled sweetly as her sister Reen’s beautiful blue ball gown amplified her beauty. The two girls did a small curtsy and Mr. Qiu laughed happily. Switching the introductions over to his son whose eyes seem to be wondering all over the ballroom.

“This is my son, Qiu Sheng Yi.”

I bowed to the old lady and looked over to see her two daughters standing beside her. Uninterested to carry on with the endless greetings, I excused myself in a polite manner that was ‘okay’ in my father’s book of etiquettes. But before I left them, my father suddenly decided to make this night thrilling.

“Sheng Yi, son, why don’t you ask one of Madam Wu’s daughters for a dance.”

“OH that would be lovely right darlings?”                                                                                                                             

I felt my eyebrow twitch at the sudden motion but I managed to keep my posture. I turned to look at the two girls who smiled happily. I looked over to my father who signaled me to do what he says and too much of his delight, I offered my hand and requested a dance.

The two girls exchanged a couple of words before figuring which one of them would be the one to grace me with a dance. I looked at the girl who was in a brown and gold dress, she placed her warm hands on top of mine and I lightly squeezed our hands together. I didn’t know who she was but as I recalled the earlier introductions, her name must be– “It’s nice to meet you Rainie.”

“You’re lucky.”

“Eh?”

“Just for tonight, you are going to dance with a prince.”

“I wouldn’t call that lucky.”             

“What did you say?” It was my turn to be surprised.

We assumed our dancing position and moved against the music. The Waltz is a traditional dance that dates back to centuries and centuries. Many people have danced the Waltz but it wasn’t the music that makes the dance, it’s the dancers themselves.

The girl named Rainie scoffed at the thought of it but she eased her tensions. “Excuse me?” Our gaze met and I could see her ruby lips curve into a smile.

“I don’t know about anyone else but from what I am seeing, you are just a boy looking for attention. So I don’t think I’m lucky.”

Speechless, I was speechless and lost for words. Could anyone say that to me? This girl who I haven’t even got the chance to meet was already putting me down? MY looks? This is flat out ridiculous.

I didn’t want to lose my temper, especially in front of so many people so we twirled around the dance floor and once the music stopped. I let her go and walked off. If I didn’t held back, I would’ve revealed who she was, imprint her in my memory so that if I ever get the chance, I would somehow make her apologize. One way or another, it wouldn’t be a nice sight to see.

I was so concentrated on my thoughts that I failed to see where I was going. I heard a faint cry as I snapped out of my thoughts and looked around to see no one responding to me. I was about to leave when I paused and looked down to see a lady in a champagne dress on the floor, biting her lips.

I blinked a couple of times to see if what I was seeing true. The girl who had caught my attention was in front of me, but she wasn’t looking at me, she was looking at her feet. Why?

I quickly straightened myself, mentally preparing myself to introduce the handsome prince such as myself. I was ready, I am ready to claim this goddess for myself.

“Who are you?“

She slowly looked up at me and our eyes met.

And in that second, I realized a couple of things. I have locked gazes with so much girls that it was impossible to give you an exact number but something about her compelled me to her. I don’t know what it was or who she is but I know whoever she is, she was different.

Sometimes you can’t help but do stupid things and at this moment, I did something I wasn’t hoping I would do. I took off my mask and looked at her not as the prime minister’s son, but as a boy who is meeting a girl for the first time.

GUI GUI’S POV

I looked around the ballroom with Dean beside me, looking as dashing as he always is. I knew I was getting all the looks from numerous girls around me but luckily for the mask, I remained anonymous, a mystery women who appeared at the party with a charming man. I glanced over to Dean who smiled happily, even with a mask covering his face, girls around the room still look over to him.

I weakly smiled as I turned my attention back to the ballroom. And before I knew it, my line of vision came across a middle-aged women standing a good distance away from me. Even from afar, I knew who it was. It was my stepmother...

Her dress choice was a statement of how fashion-forward she was. She held her gaze at the prime minster, not giving a care of the numerous attention she was receiving.

“Gui...” Dean leaned in close to calm me down. He place his free hand on top of my hand, reassuring me it was okay. He then looked over to the direction I was looking at and sighed, “I bet you if she was homeless, she would still be able to stand out like a peacock.”

“I’m going to get myself a drink.” I told myself a million times to stop thinking unnecessary thoughts but it came rushing to me like a storm. I feel stupid for letting myself go, these thoughts are going to devour me someday and when that day comes, I will tell myself a million times over and over again ‘I told you so!’

I was so deep in thought that I failed to keep my balance when someone bumped into me. I winced at the sudden pain my feet left me and I dropped to the ground, touching my feet.

“Who are you?“

I looked up to see a man standing before me, looking at me. Although I couldn’t see his face, I stared at him and our gaze met. Right when our gaze met, he revealed himself accompanied by a smile.

“Why don’t you take off your mask and let me see your face?”

He asked, hoping to get a glimpse. But I continued to stare at him until he grew impatient. “Why not? I am sure you’re–“ He reached over to take my mask off himself and in result of his sudden closeness, I pulled back, surprised.

“I don’t bite.” He whispered as he inched closer.

“But we bite.” We both stopped, looked up to see a group of men looking down at us. My eyes widen as I tried to understand the situation I was in. I was about to speak but instead of speaking out, I gasped as someone lifted me off the ground.

“He’s all yours.”

“Okay!” They simply replied as they blocked the man who was trying to take my mask off so that he couldn’t see me anymore.

I looked back at him, “Let me go!”

“I just saved you back there, shouldn’t I at least get a ‘thank you’?”

“I didn’t ask for your help.”

He placed me down and sat down beside me, he stared up at moon while I glanced around the garden. He left the ballroom to come out here?

“Why did you come out when your feet is still injured?”

My eyes widen, how did he know about my injury?!

He rolled the bottom of my dress up and as quick as I was to respond to his actions, I was about to kick him away but he caught me before I could do anything to him. I don’t know how he knew what I was going to do but I was left flabbergasted.

“Don’t touch me.”

He took his eyes off the bottom of my dress to look into my eyes. “I am not going to look up your dress. I want to take a look at your injury.” He let me wrist go slowly, his gaze not once leaving mine.

“I won’t pull anything on you so don’t worry.” He whispered lightly as he reached over once again. Only this time, I stopped him. “I–I–I will d–do it my–myself!”

He replied with a smirk as he pulled back, allowing me to pull the bottom of my dress up to an amount that was okay for us both (mostly me). When I exposed one of my leg to him, I looked up to see his eyes fixed on my injury, he glanced at it emotionlessly.

What is he thinking about?

“I knew it.”

Huh?

“How old are you? You should know how to take care of your injury!”

“How old are you then?!  I know how to take care of my injury! It is just tonight is different.”

“Different? How is coming to this party more important? Don’t tell me that you came here with a goal to find your Mr. Right? That’s considered more important than your injury to you?”

“What do you know about what is more important?!”

He stopped and stared at me for a moment before getting up, walking over to the fountain. He took his handkerchief and soaked it under the water and came back. But he was no longer sitting next to me on the bench, he was kneeling in front of me.

Throughout the entire time, I kept my eyes on him, consistently wondering who he was. Why was he doing this? What benefit does he get out of this?

Overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events, I took off my mask and looked at the moon shining brightly in the sky. Having the feel of the wind against my cheeks felt so good, can’t time just pause right now?

“Oh?” When he spoke, I glanced over to my heel which was covered in blood from the inside. “AH!” I cried out as I felt a sting at my feet, I glared at him but he paid no attention to my cries. He wrapped the wet handkerchief around my wound gently.

Wait a minute! Hold on... How come I didn’t notice this before? His voice... His voice sounds familiar.

Flashback

“I guess what they say is true.”

“Huh?” He shot a surprised look. “They say it is easy to pour your emotions out to a stranger versus someone your close to. It is right, it is easier to talk to a total stranger.”

End of Flashback

Just when he was about to tie the knot so that the handkerchief stays in place, I slowly reach over to take his mask off. He stopped and looked up at me but he didn’t stop me from taking his mask off. One thing lead to another and before I knew it, the boy who saw me at my worse state, talked back to me, raised his voice when he gets frustrated but he did all those things to snap me back to reality. He was the person who I thought I would never see again.

So when the clock strikes twelve, we will be nothing more than strangers who just happened to meet twice in a short amount of time.

Right?

To conclude my thoughts, I leaned over a bit, leaving a good amount of space between us so he doesn’t frame me for violating his personal space.

“We meet again, stranger.”

My lips curve into a smile as my eyes stares into his. But did he know?

That it only takes less than twelve seconds to fall in love.