"I don't understand," Kathryn grumbled, her arms folded over her chest with a small pout on her lips.
Lord Edward Hahne sighed, seeing her mimicking his stance with her own exaggerated flare. "Lady Kathryn," he started, "to attend a nobleman's celebration on the arm of another noble, a proper lady must make herself known to all without saying a word. And you do that with a gown as beautiful as yourself."
The girl rolled her eyes. She hated when he called her 'lady' because she was about as far from noble status as someone could be. Then again... She was an absolutely gorgeous woman. Her pout deepened when the seamstress emerged from the back room again with a blood red gown.
This is going to be a long night, she thought.
* * *
The evening, Kathryn and Lord Edward arrived at Lord Viktor Radbyrne's home. The man stepped out of the coach, offering his hand to his guest. Kathryn squinted slightly, taking his hand after a moment of hesitation and leaving the coach. Her dark hair was tied in a thick braid, which wasn't frayed and messy for once. Her red gown - complete with corset, which Kathryn had never worn before - had a large skirt and frilled angel sleeves with bows down the front of the dress. Also, there seemed to be places where something would appear to be bunched up beneath the fabric.
Kathryn looped her arm around Lord Edward's, as they walked into the party. Her movements were stiff, and her breathing was labored. "My dear, you look lovely tonight," he whispered to Kathryn. "Though, you seem a bit uncomfortable. Is anything the matter?"
"I can't breathe, I can't move, and it's extremely hot," Kathryn said.
While they would appear to be a lovely couple, Kathryn had only met Lord Edward the day before. She was looking at jewelry in the window of a shop, and he stopped by and proposed the idea of her accompanying him to a party. The fact that Lord Edward knew she was uncomfortable had nothing to do with their bond - or lack thereof - but rather her inexperience in hiding such things in formal occasions.
"You're warm?" He asked curiously. "It's quite cool in here, though. Are you running a temperature?"
She huffed. "No," Kathryn said exasperated. "I'm wearing a million layers."
Lord Edward couldn't help but laugh. "You're wearing your normal clothing underneath that dress, aren't you?"
"Was I not supposed to?"
He nodded. "I'm going to speak to a colleague. Go on and mingle. Introduce yourself to some of the other ladies."
Kathryn lifted her brow, as he walked away. She saw the other women speaking to each in hushed voices, and from what she had learned about rich women, the topic of discussion was probably the promiscuity of a woman who wasn't attending to the party. In other words, she wanted nothing to do with anything happening at this party. Until...
A scream rang out through the halls, immediately grabbing Kathryn's attention. Her eyes went to the top of the staircase, where a woman appeared, clearly terrified of whatever had caused her to make that awful noise.
As Lord Edward rushed over to Kathryn, the girl slipped away from him. Something interesting was finally happening, so there was no way she would continue to play the part of the 'proper noble,' which no part of her actually was. She grabbed the skirt of her dress and rushed up the stairs, the corset posing more of a problem than she had anticipated. While the proper noblewoman would've gone to comfort the traumatized girl, Kathryn moved past her without so much as a word of concern and continued down the hall to see the body of a nobleman.
She crouched - or rather tried to with that monstrous dress - in front of the man. "Fuck it," she mumbled, quickly slipping out of the red gown. She had worn her green and grey clothing beneath the dress, so she was covered. Kathryn crouched comfortably that time in front of the body. She peered curiously at it: it was her first time seeing a dead body since the one she had killed.
Broken nose, she thought, poking its bloody nose.
How do you drown in the middle of a party on land?"Lord William Lard!" Lord Edward gasped. He grabbed Kathryn's arm, pulling her away towards the stairs. "Everyone remain calm!" He said, preparing a lie to keep the guests from panicking. "Everything's fine. The girl was simply startled by-"
"Lord Lard's dead," Kathryn said plainly, earning her a sharp glare from Lord Edward.