All the guests in the hall were well aware that patriarch Bai was throwing this party for his beautiful granddaughter. But where was the girl of honor?

Somebody who had never seen Juno before started rumors that she was getting ugly and, therefore, afraid to go public.

Several girls giggled maliciously and made up even more horror stories about Juno. If the Stones knew the reason for their laughter, they would have stepped in.

Suddenly the door to the main entrance was thrown open. All eyes were fixed on those entering the party hall. The orchestra died down, the servants stopped short.

Two sexy maids held the door open.

One of the girls had shiny wavy black hair. She looked stunning. The seducing pearl gray evening dress highlighted her slim figure and matched perfectly the color of her eyes. Her prominent bust was the cherry on the cake. One leg peeped out of the dress slit. Glittering heeled shoes adorned her small feet. Her beautiful face expressed a self-possessed indifference. Her icy cold gaze searched through the crowd and fell on the inconspicuous boy. She seemed to be looking at her sworn enemy. A lot of guests shuddered and hastily averted their eyes.

The other maid was wearing an ivory evening gown. Her dazzling smile sent pulses racing. Her eyes were deep like mountain lakes and glowed with warmth. Her presence inspired trust and affection. The maids differed from each other like winter and summer.

Everyone knew that these two nymphs were the superior maids, the mirror of the Stones’ soul. They were given to the family as a precious gift at the height of their power and symbolised their greatness up to this day.

So many young men among the guests were eager to get to know these femmes fatales... But the powerful beautiful girls couldn’t care less for the average practitioners.

Suddenly, the silhouette of a young girl appeared in the doorway.

The royal Grands instinctively rose from their seats. Lee, Eric, Stephanie, and those who had been gossiping followed suit. Flaming fire in their hearts urged them to stand up and bow to their lady.

Juno entered the party hall like a charming fairy. She was wearing a short fluffy black dress, with layers of folds like lotus petals. Everyone marveled at the way she held herself, spine straight, head up, haughty as a queen. Her long slender clavicles and tender shoulders highlighted her innocence of an angel. She had tiny flowered shoes on her delicate feet. A faint light twinkled in the depths of her delightful emerald eyes. Glimmering earrings sparkled up her magical look.

The envious gossip girls gritted their teeth with annoyance, their self-esteem deeply hurt.

And only one blond young man of the 2nd rank was looking at the beautiful blonde behind Juno, unable to take his eyes off her.

As the girls were walking to their allotted places at the main table, they could feel everyone staring at them.

Juno had exceeded the expectations of those who had never seen her, winning hearts and minds with her divine beauty.

Lee walked up to the main table as a representative of the Stone family. He put his hand on his heart, took a traditional bow and said respectfully:

«Lady Juno, let me introduce myself and greet you on behalf of all the Stones. I am Lee Stone.»

Juno smiled and nodded graciously.

«Lady Juno, your beauty is beyond praise... I will destroy anyone who dares to hurt you. I give you my word of honor.» - Lee said confidently. He really liked Juno. He decided that he must become the king of the party to get the patriarch’s prize and dance with his wonderful granddaughter.

Lee’s words made the other girls jealous. They were fading away in the bright light of Juno, the little star. The young Stones were furious that Lee was standing so close to her...The patriarch had forbidden the close relatives to approach her, after all. Bai didn’t welcome related couples.

«Thank you. It’s nice of you to say that.» - Juno said politely. She picked up an empty glass, and her maid filled it up with juice at once.

Lee returned to his table, where a large group of Stones had already gathered together. His heart was pounding. What were those feelings? Did Juno excite him so much?

Next, Tsayan came up to Juno as a representative from the Brown family. He bowed gallantly and said:

«My lady, you are an angel who came down from heaven. My name is Tsayan. I greet you on behalf of all the Browns, and Timothy himself.»

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

When they heard this name, the guests started to whisper nervously. Rumor had it Timothy had plans for Juno. That’s why only few young men dared to come up to her. Who was this Timothy? It was the most talented boy in the kingdom from a non-royal family. The patriarch Brown’s son had an outstanding personality. Once, he intended to marry Elsa.

«Thank you, Tsayan... I'm glad to see you at the party organised by my grandfather.» - Juno answered with a dazzling smile.

Tsayan took another bow and stepped back. His self-confidence had a simple explanation. He was already at the peak of the advanced phase at the age of 15. His elder brother was the strongest of them all (except Timothy), and his father was a revered elder. Tsayan was a tiger who wasn’t afraid of wolves and dogs.

After the Browns (2), the representatives of other families came out in order of rank to greet Juno. Her beauty made her popular. In this world, good looks were of great value.

Kyon stared at Juno in her beautiful dress, drinking her in. He recalled the day he kissed her when she was asleep. He winced and took a sip of cherry wine. Then he looked at Dinah. A mischievous smile appeared on Kyon's face. He wanted nothing more than to mess with her. The bitch was treating everyone with icy contempt. Well, that’s okay... He was going to keep her to himself, and then he would see what to do with her.

Meanwhile, the greeting ceremony came to an end.

«Timothy has good taste for girls, that’s for sure. Patriarch Bai’s expectations for this party will lead to disappointment. Juno’s beauty, as well as specially spread rumors, will intimidate everyone. They will be too scared to court her.» - Tsayan told his friend, sipping delicious wine.

His companion was about to agree when suddenly he noticed a beefy young man in a luxurious outfit. His shiny, patterned clothes were made of high-quality material inlaid with precious gemstones. Three gold chains hung on his neck, multi-colored rings sparkled on his fat sausage-like fingers, three bracelets jingled on each wrist, even his boots shone with brilliance. The fat guy was fiddling with two lord spheres in his hands. He obviously had money to burn.

With a regal look and a confident gait of the gluttonous public official, he approached Juno’s table with a wide smile and a traditional bow. However, his attitude clearly lacked reverence.

The girls at the table and a couple of maids around turned to the walking "lord," a most quizzical look on their faces. He acted as if he was a king.

«Lady Juno, my name is BonJiao. I am elder BonLoir’s son. My family, the Limurovs (10), is one of the wealthiest in the kingdom. I am totally smitten by your charm. I think it’s love at first sight. Will you dance with me?» - He reached out for Juno’s tiny hand. His eyes sparkled with confidence and insatiable ambition.

Half of the guests nearly fell from their chairs. «What a nerve! He isn’t afraid of anything!» … «Wasn’t it a bit too insensitive?! He comes from a pathetic family of the 10th rank, after all!» … « I will kill him!» - Music muffled loud exclamations in the crowd. BonJiao didn't see anyone but Juno. He was completely unaware that every second guest wanted to cut his guts open.

Anna and Dinah looked at each other and then at the lady, waiting for her signal.

Juno had to resist an urge to incinerate this pompous clown together with his honor and dignity. He annoyed her even more than her servant!

«BonJiao, I don’t know you at all. Please, tell me about yourself.» - She said in a sweet voice.

A dozen young men lost faith in life when they heard it. They had been hoping lady Juno would brush off the bougie...

However, a second later, everyone had a major epiphany: Juno actually had a heart of gold. She respected the feelings of the boastful dick. Instead of walking over him, she was giving him imaginary hope.

Many hearts began to beat faster because of Juno’s compassion. «It’s so kind of her…» … « I did not expect to see an angel in this cruel world where blood is shed every day... God save Rosarrio and the Stones.» … «She embodies the generosity of the Stones. The patriarch has a wonderful granddaughter.» - The guests whispered to each other, their voices trembled. One of the young men cried out exultantly at Juno’s words. He knew he had found his ideal in a girl.

Even if BonJiao looked like an imposing king, he didn’t feel as relaxed as usual. A thunderous heavy stare of one of the lady’s maids was the reason for his discomfort, which he tried unsuccessfully to ignore. The lord phase (5) spheres started spinning faster in his hands. But it only added fuel to his ambition, and he went on bragging about his status to seek admiration.

«My lady, let me tell you about myself. At my age of 16, I’m a successful assistant of my father who is in charge of the family financial sector. My mother runs a clothing factory in the suburbs of Ganglois. I am sure you’ve heard of the high-quality products we produce for the rich class. I have a mountain pony of Alurre breed. By the way, that’s how I came here... I can show you if you wish. I also have three enormous mansions. I’ll be honored to take you there. You’ll have a chance to admire the royal ducks that live in large ponds... You will be absolutely delighted!» - The fat boy continued to praise his endless wealth.

Kyon saw Dinah glaring daggers at the arrogant guest and could only sympathize with poor BonJiao. The big guy was holding well. He didn’t flinch once under the pressure of her gaze.

Juno was listening carefully and even smiled at him. She had already found his weak point and was ready to strike with something along the lines of “Dinah, throw this dirty beggar out.” It would ruin her image of an innocent fairy, but she would never forgive herself if she didn’t destroy the naive moneybags.

Hundreds of ears perked up. The guests couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. Some of them were slowly heading towards Mr. Swelledhead to save Juno from his hideous presence.

Juno was about to speak when she suddenly heard painfully familiar footsteps...

BonJiao followed his angel’s gaze and gasped. The two spheres fell out of his hands. One of them rolled under the table, the other stuck under the chair.

Juno’s brother, XiaoBai, had arrived.