RISE OF EROS

The days passed quickly and the day of Andrew and Victoria's engagement party arrived. All the city's important nobles, including the royal family, were invited.

Unfortunately, the royal family would not attend, as the stars of the night had to be Andrew and Victoria who were publicly announcing their engagement and if the royal family showed up, they would steal the show.

This is not only the case in Dunnas but in almost all monarchical countries. Invitations to noble engagement parties always include the royal or imperial family of the country, but they never attend.

It is a sign of respect on the part of the royals not to attend, as they are showing that the party is about the engagement, not about the royal family. Despite this, they always send a representative as a sign of their approval.

In fact, it is known that when the royal family attends these events, they are actually showing their disapproval and even their discontent against those who hold these events, since in a way they are stealing the attention.

The Caltu family mansion was elegantly decorated with flowers, food, and high-quality wine, demonstrating the importance of the event. The party hall was crowded with many noble families, and waiters were hovering around with trays of wine and food serving the guests.

There was also a small group of musicians playing some string and wind instruments, providing an atmosphere of elegance and class. As is the etiquette at these events, the lower-ranking guests arrived early and the higher-ranking ones arrived later.

It is known that the later someone arrives, the higher their status is, and for this party, Andrew and Victoria would be the last to show up. Although the party was scheduled for 7:00 pm, an hour had already passed and guests were still arriving.

Andrew and Victoria had been at the mansion since the evening hours, but they would only enter the party hall around 9:00 pm, which demonstrated how complex these celebrations are.

While they waited, Andrew and Victoria were being attended to by the Caltu family servants. Victoria was putting on makeup and dressed in the suit that Andrew had made and Andrew was also doing the same, but to a lesser extent.

He did not like these formal events, because he had never attended one and felt that he did not fit in. Even the servants who were serving him stressed him out because he did not think that so much arrangement was necessary.

Despite his thoughts, he reluctantly accepted that they put a little makeup on him, which is quite poor by Earth standards, but it still enhanced his facial features, and together with the smoking that he had made, Andrew looked very handsome.

When Clarissa and the other members of the Caltu family saw the suits that Andrew had brought, they were impressed, because they had never seen anything like this and although they were not traditional, they were so elegant and sensual that they could not refuse.

When the time of their appearance approached, Andrew and Victoria finally met. Since they had arrived in the afternoon, they had not been able to see each other, because they had been fixing them for hours. Andrew received a haircut and light makeup, making him look noble and elegant.

Victoria, on the other hand, was much more dressed up, because not only did she have makeup, but her hair was magnificently arranged.

Andrew had to admit that she looked like a different person. Victoria always looked beautiful in his eyes, because she is a beautiful woman, but today she was dazzling like any movie star on Earth.

Her hair, slightly wavy at the ends, fell in a ponytail to one side, over her chest and forehead with a little volume. Andrew had no idea how they achieved this hairstyle with so few beauty products that exist in this world, but she looked elegant and noble.

Her eyes were shaded, her eyelashes grown, her eyebrows outlined and her face much whiter than normal. Her lips had a reddish tint that made her look mature and sensual, but it was not too intense.

It was there that Andrew realized that this world had its makeup and although it could not be compared to the one he knew, he could not deny the fact that it fulfilled its objective and that the makeup artists of this world are experts.

If her face wasn't enough, the traditional Chinese one-piece dress with floral embroidery that Andrew had made made her look even more beautiful.

Although for a formal occasion like this, it might not be the most suitable, Andrew was delighted. The tight-fitting suit showed off Victoria's curves perfectly. There were no loose or tight parts, everything fit like a second skin.

The split of the suit from the leg to the waist, showed off Victoria's sensual white skin, letting the imagination of those who saw her fly away, but it didn't show enough to cause problems.

The high heels were the cherry on the cake, giving the final touch to a living work of art like Victoria in front of him. Seeing how Andrew was stunned by her, Victoria smiled proudly.

She knows that Andrew loves her, and even more, now that she has the seal of wife, but even so, there is no woman in any world who does not feel proud of having her beauty recognized, especially if it is from the man they love.

Andrew was only able to get out of his state of shock when Victoria coughed lightly, since, although she loved seeing him so surprised, they had to make their entrance already, so she woke him up from his daydream.

Despite the embarrassing moment, Andrew did not feel any shame, because this was his wife, so there was no reason, however, he did take her hand delicately, and giving her a kiss on the back of the hand, said, "You are beautiful."

Ironically, Andrew's action made her blush, but she still didn't hide her embarrassment, as it was a compliment and while she was taken by surprise by his action, she was still delighted that Andrew did it.

After the brief event, one of the guards who was nearby and would be in charge of announcing them, approached and bowed slightly and asked, "Are you ready, sir, madam?"

They didn't say anything, just nodded slightly. Victoria leaned on Andrew's arm and standing up straight, both of them adopted a serious expression, although they were smiling, and seeing this the guard proceeded to announce them.

In the party hall, all the guests were talking to their friends, while enjoying the food, drink, and music, when suddenly the loud voice of the guard was heard, "The engaged couple has arrived!"

The strange announcement confused many, but this was deliberate. Normally they would announce them with their full names, but since Andrew is not a noble, he does not have a last name, so if they announced him with just his name it could be a cause for mockery.

It's not like doing this wouldn't be a shame, but at least the Caltu family wouldn't be publicly embarrassed at the start. Nobles are very careful about appearances, so they decided to go with this arrangement.

The doors of the hall opened and Andrew accompanied by Victoria walked in at a slow, but firm and confident pace, showing that they were not ashamed of anything.

Many were already mocking how a countess married a commoner. Some even mocked that Victoria had to give up her noble title for this engagement to take place, but when they saw them, all these mockeries were silenced.

Not only did they look proud walking in the middle of all the guests, but the couple displayed an aura of dignity and elegance that few had. Those who were ranting a few seconds ago were left with their mouths open at the sight of them.

Not even they dared to compare themselves to Andrew. In beauty and elegance, Andrew was unmatched and the aura of a candidate for god Eros captivated everyone.

"Is he really a commoner?" was what many wondered in their minds upon seeing him, but Andrew and Victoria were oblivious to it, and just walked calmly to the chosen spot.

In the hall, there was a small slope where an elegantly decorated table for two was placed and there they sat. Andrew behaved like a gentleman and helped Victoria to take a seat before sitting down.

As they sat down, the guests finally reacted and then began to applaud. That was the custom, to applaud the engaged couple. To be more exact, they should have been showered with applause from the moment they entered until they sat, but everyone was so surprised that they did not react until the engaged couple was seated.

After the applause, came the personal congratulations, and unlike upon arrival at the event, they happened the other way around. When it comes to the arrival, those of higher status would be the last, but when it came time to offer congratulations and blessings, they were the first.

Although the royal family did not attend, their representative had to be the first, as it was the blessing of the royal family. Then came several marquises who were not many. Then came the earls who were also few and the viscounts and barons who were the most numerous were the last.

It was all a ritual, as the blessings and congratulations were nothing more than mere courtesy. In fact, there were many of them who even internally cursed Andrew for taking Victoria away, but that did not matter to him.

They spent almost an hour on this ritual, so you can imagine the number of guests and when that was over, then the party continued. The music started again and the guests returned to chatting with each other, dancing, and eating.

At this point, Andrew and Victoria would come down from their place and socialize. Since the reason for this event is to socialize and be seen as a couple, they couldn't be eating and drinking, so they had already eaten dinner, so they could endure the long night.

Andrew felt out of place, but he still accompanied Victoria showing his character. He knew that many here looked down on him for his humble background, but he didn't care, he was only doing this for his wife.