The Alpha King's Mind Reading Maid (Cecilia) novel Chapter 173

Chapter 173

Cecilia’s POV

“I saw you running here,” Anna said, giving a short laugh. “I tried to call your name, but you didn’t hear me.”

I stared at her for a beat too long, trying to detect any hint of a lie. The corner of her lips lifted one shoulder.

“I guess I’m just perspective like that,” she adds. “So, you’re okay then?’

“As I said, I was only changing,” I told her. “I’m ready to head back to the ball now before they figure out I am missing.”

Not that anybody would notice my absence. Anna nodded as we continued to walk towards the stairway that led into the main foyer. The rest of the walk was fairly quiet; only the sounds of my rapid heartbeat could be heard.

Truth be told, I didn’t want to return to the ball, and if Anna hadn’t shown up to question me, I probably would have come up with an excuse as to why I wasn’t there. I knew that if I disappeared for the rest of the evening, there would most likely be questions.

Landon mostly.

He always seemed to notice when I wasn’t participating or stepping out of line. I had no idea why he monitored me so closely, but I doubted it had anything to do with Leopold. There was no way Leopold had spoken to Landon about me.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my shaking hands, and then I did what I did best.

I buried what I felt and returned to the ball.

The music drifted toward me before I reached the doors, a polished swell of strings and piano that sounded far too elegant for the storm still raging inside me. Laughter followed it. Conversation. The clink of crystal glasses. The world had gone utterly indifferent to the fact that mine had tilted off its axis.

One of the servants opened the ballroom doors; warmth and golden light poured over me at once.

The room looked exactly as I had left it; brilliant chandeliers glittering overhead, nobles and guests shifting across the polished floor like species in some beautifully choreographed game. Every table was dressed in ivory linen and shining silver. Nothing in the room suggested disaster; nothing suggested ruin.

So, I made sure I didn’t either. I acted as though I had been there the entire night. I kept my expression composed as I stepped inside, my spine straight, my hands still at my sides so no one would notice how tightly my fingers wanted to curl. Every movement had to appear natural; every smile had to be measured. I was suddenly aware of the lines of my neck, of the way my hair fell over one shoulder, and whether the mark remained hidden from every possible angle.

“Where have you been?” Jasmine asked as she approached with the other girls in tow.

They were all frowning as they looked at me, and then Cora cocked her head to the side.

“And why did you change your dress?” She asked, her frown deepening.

“You also changed your hair,” Jasmine pointed out, pointing at my now down hair. I thought maybe having it down might help hide the mark on my neck. I knew it wasn’t technically appropriate to wear my hair like this during a ball, but I wasn’t sure what else to do.

I had hoped there would be enough people here that my casualness might fall under the radar.

“I spilled something on my dress,” I tell them, the lie tasting bitter on my tongue. “I went back to my room to change.”

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