At first, Tessa thought the pause marked the end of the conversation. To her surprise, the man continued, “Truth be told, I thought you stand out among the guests.
tonight.” It took Tessa aback and she shot him an incredulous look. Is he making a move on me? After all, I heard people here are quite open.
Before she could bring herself to answer him, he elaborated in an amused tone, “You people have different faces from us. You’re more dainty and elegant.”
As the man talked, his eyes, which were deep blue as the sea, fixed on her with evident amusement.
Tessa blinked, immediately getting what he meant. She sighed in relief before returning his words with a grateful smile. “Thank you for the compliment.”
Finding the man an interesting guy, she couldn’t help but ask, “Tessa Reinhart. A pleasure to make your acquaintance. May I know your name?”
“The pleasure is mine. I’m Hobbs.” He cast her at faint smile. However, Tessa was shocked to hear his words. Before attending the banquet, Sofia had briefed Tessa on the royal family of Janqash.
And Hobbs was one of the men with ranks from the royal family. He really is a real nobleman! After learning his identity, Tessa couldn’t help but pay attention to her manners and behaviors to avoid getting on his bad side.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Hobbs.” As she spoke those words, she rose to her feet.
Meanwhile, he could tell that Tessa was a little uptight, so he reassured her with a smile, “Don’t fret. Just see me as another friend of yours. Please be comfortable with yourself. I’d rather stand.”
He seems like an easy-going guy. Nodding, she sat back down again. However, her nerves remained.
As observative as Hobbs was, he noticed her stiffness once again. Thus, he changed the topic by asking. “How long have you been. practicing under Miss Sofia’s guidance?”
“Around one year,” Tessa answered honestly. He nodded. “You must be quite talented, or else you wouldn’t be able to show up on such an occasion with only a year’s practice.”
“There’s still a lot to learn. I’m nowhere near Miss Sofia’s level.” Tessa dismissed his praise with a humble smile. Hobbs arched his eyebrows at her words but didn’t comment further. Instead, he continued, “I love music, especially classical music.”
He sized her up when he was talking. The woman in front of him was sitting upright on the couch. She had a pretty face, and her calm temperament set him at ease.
For a moment, he was mesmerized by her beauty. When he came back to his senses, he curved the corner of his lips. “I assume you are a classical music performer, right?”
Tessa blinked once as she didn’t see the point in hiding the truth. “You’re right, Mr. Hobbs.” He nodded again and allowed the silence to settle between them, mainly because Sofia was approaching.
Due to the night closing in, Sofia didn’t notice Hobbs, who was standing on the side, when she urged Tessa to go. “Tessa, the host is here. Let’s go inside, or else people will think we are rude.”
“All right.” Tessa nodded. Then, she gestured to Hobbs, excusing herself before she followed Sofia back to the banquet hall.
Meanwhile, in the banquet hall, Prince Abott and Princess Freya of the Janqash royal family were surrounded by a crowd of musicians and noblemen.
Tessa returned to the hall to find the atmosphere more lively than before.
“I heard Princess Freya is fond of music. Besides, there’s a celebration going on. Thus, Prince Abott specially invited these musicians to perform for her,” Sofia explained without Tessa having to ask.
As Sofia explained, Tessa shifted her gaze to the beautiful princess in the center of the crowd. The prince must love her very much. Among the crowd, Freya greeted every person who approached to make their acquaintance. Her elegant movements were flawless.
After a while, she went onstage hand-in-hand with Abott. She stood upright on the side as she listened to him making his speech. “Welcome, everyone. I’ll be glad if my guests can make some friends during the banquet.”
His speech was short. After asking his guests to make themselves comfortable, he walked down the stage with Freya. Instead of retiring for the night, the pair took a stroll in the hall.
When Abott noticed Sofia among the crowd, he approached her with Freya in tow.
