At that night Cecile was ready in a plain white dress that looked stunning on her body. Her golden brown wavy hair was neatly in a bun.
Her white face was getting paler with a powder. Her lips were as fresh red as a cherry looked reddish more as blood due to the lipstick.
And both of her cheeks which were already red like rose petal bloomed, increasingly reddened due to the blush on.
Anne succeeded to make over her perfectly.
"Isn't this too much?" Said Cecile found herself quite different from the mirror reflection.
And Anne who saw the result was very satisfied.
"No, you are so pretty!" Exclaimed Anne. She always admired that what a beauty of her female cousin. Cecile's mother's genes were perfectly inherited to her.
Hearing that compliment, Cecile just smiled. While her heart was torn apart and really wanted to cry.
Eventhough she was smiling now. But her eyes shone unhappiness. Of course Anne caught that view. Anne patted her shoulder softly and said sincerely.
"If you don't like the suitor, tell me! Because I..." Anne said while putting her clenched hand on her chest. Then she continued.
"Your this precious female cousin will always be on your side" She said with a soft and heartfelt smile.
Cecile nodded her head with sparkling eyes implying a deep sense of her gratitude.
"Cecile"
Her bedroom door was opened by someone. It was an aged man who had the contour of a leader's firm face.
"They're here. Please be hurry!" It was Eckbert, Cecile's father. After conveying that he left soon.
Cecile had surrendered about it at all just followed her father and so did Anne.
Tonight Anne had chosen to stay deliberately. However, Cecile necessarily needed a friend in the situation like this.
"Cecile stop!" Suddenly Anne remembered something.
"What is wrong?" Cecile immediately stopped her steps, while her father had walked into the banquet hall to welcome the presence of the suitor's family.
"You'd better go to drew some tea and prepare some snacks for the banquet. Then just take it all there"
From what Anne knew, it was customary for the girl who being proposed to serve banquet dishes for the family from the man's side.
Cecile who heard that nodded in agreement. She thought it would be disrespectful if they served nothing.
"Then I'll go to the kitchen first"
After leaving Cecile to the kitchen. Anne walked into the banquet hall. There she saw her uncle who was talking with the men's side of the family. Taking a step further, all eyes focused on her.
"Anne, where's Cecile?" Asked Eckbert. Actually he forgot something. But when he found his daughter didn't step yet into the living room. Looked like Anne had already told that to her.
"She will be here soon! uncle" replied Anne politely. Eckbert was immediate understood.
Anne bowed her body politely to greet the male's side of family.
But when she lifted her face. Suddenly she saw a familiar figure.
That was a face which sculpted amazingly. It was like a figure of a handsome knight that dreamed of by many women.
Seeing him was like welcoming the morning sun in spring. His gaze was calm like dew falling in the early morning.
That figure who was also looking at her. He nodded politely and smiled.
Immediately bursting of butterflies flew from her heart.
"Anne?"
Deg! His voice was as peaceful as a clear river flow. Reconciling the listeners and almost making them fall in love. It wasn't the first time that Anne had experienced all these tense situations.
It would always be tense, if you meet his figure.
"Y-yes" Anne answered nervously, both of his cheeks immediately flushed.
"Do you know each other?" Gennifer who was the mother of the man immediately asked. It was a woman in her forties who still looked very young. Her face was thin and her white skin glowed like pearls. There were many similarities between mother and son. They were the perfect gene pool.
"We've met before mom" Answered Edwin.
They had met before. It happened the first time on the market. At that day, Anne was in trouble because she was stopped by several criminals who wanted to seize her belongings.
Edwin who caught that view coming quickly for help. So he fought all criminals alone by himself.
At that time Edwid looked like a wonderful knight appeared to save her. And Anne would never be able to forget that special moment from her memory.
"Oh so you already know each other" Said Ainsley who was the father of Edwin. He had a tan skin, extremely different from his wife and son. That's because he was a descendant of Pataw tribe.
"Oh introduce this is my niece Anne. She often comes here to accompany my daughter Cecile" Said Eckbert introducing Anne more further.
They nodded in understanding.
"Then excuse me" Anne bowed politely and hurriedly left the room.
Her chest felt tight, her nose felt very sour and her eyes heated up. She would never have thought that the man who came to propose her female cousin that was her first love.
Cecile who had just come out of the kitchen carrying a tray of food and tea. In the middle of her steps, she found Anne who looked in a daze in the corner. Her body leant on the wall. She could see her shoulders shaking.
Cecile immediately thought that something must have happened. But what was that? did this has a relation to the marriage proposal?
"Anne" Said Cecile.
Anne was shocked and carelessly her both of hands rubbed her cheeks which were already flooded with tears.
Cecile was very surprised to see that her condition was worse than she thought. Even though Anne moved quickly to hide it. But her eyes were swollen and red. Her face also looked gloomy and sticky.
'Has she been crying for a long time?'
Anne tried to change her position better. Pulled the both corners of her lip. She tried hard to smile strongly.
"Hurry up! the man who proposed to you is very handsome"
"Is it true?"
"Em! Come on... hurry up!" Anne pushed her body. Urging her to leave soon to the banquet hall.
"But what's wrong with you? Why are you crying?" But Cecile didn't want to leave and asked her suspiciously.
Anne came in fine today and she was pretty sure that she didn't have any problems. And now she was crying excessively.
Cecile began to guess, it must have something related to her marriage proposal.
"We'll talk about it later. Now you just go first, it's not good to keep them waiting "
Finally Cecile obeyed and left.
In the banquet room, Cecile greeted everyone politely. Then she placed all things on the tray that she brought neatly on the table.
Gennifer who saw the presence of the girl in front of her was very happy.
'Is that her future daughter-in-law?'
In her heart she really admitted how beautiful that girl is. If juxtaposed with her son. They would definitely make a great match.
"This is my daughter Cecile" Eckbert proudly introduced his daughter.
Cecile politely bowed and took a place to sit next to his father. That's when she met the eyes of a handsome man sitting in front of her.
'Is he the man who proposed to her?
"She is almost similar to her late mother"
Said Ainsley, just like his wife he felt very satisfied with the beauty of his daughter-in-law.
"Yes, they are both the same beauty. I see like Clarissa is reborn."
When that name was mentioned. There was a sadness that penetrated her heart. It was the name of the woman she loved and missed the most.
It was her mother.
"Hello! I'm Edwid" That man's hand was outstretched to her friendly for greeting.
They had never met before. But why did this guy come to propose to a girl that he didn't know?
"Cecile" And she welcomed it politely.
And a long conversation between the two sides of the family ensued.
At that time she found out that Edwin was a very wealthy young merchant. That's a very impressive feat for a man of his age.
And Edwin's parents were close friends of her parents. So this marriage proposal came to strengthen the relationship between two families.
As the head of the tribe, it was imperative to have prospective sons-in-law who have a good and respectable status in the community. And Edwin really lived up to that standard.
Edwin was not only known as a young wealthy merchant. But he also had a high sense of empathy for the community, where he took the time to give a direction to the community on how to do a business properly and also even lend capital some money without having to worry about interest.
Because of that his popularity soared among the wider community. That's why his father did not hesitate to accept that man. After all, it could be said that Edwin was every parent-in-law's dream.
Cecile had to admit that his father's choice for her was very great, kind and smart young man.
It was a handsome man, but she didn't feel anything when she saw it.
Cecile had never felt what it feels like to fall in love.
But she knew little from Anne who was experienced in it. She said that you will feel like many butterflies are flying around you and when you see it you will be so amazed as if time stopped rotating that second.
But she felt like ever had experienced like that before. But with whom?
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