Chapter 13
LIZ
There was something to be said about dreaming of a ball once in your life, wondering what those women dressed in gowns thought and felt as they walked the glitz and glamour—then, getting to experience the ball yourself and finally knowing what the women thought and felt.
I even got the gown part down pat, and right now it was currently swirling around my legs as I entered the main hall. I was slightly frozen in place as I took in the scene and the crowd, not sure whether I should take a step forward.
Beside me, Lucas spoke under his breath.
“Princess?”
It was a wake-up call, effectively shaking me from my trance as I looked up at him. I gave him my practiced polite smile.
“Yes, Prince Lucas. Kindly lead the way?”
He nodded his head. Then he held out his arm to me, and I slipped mine into it and followed the way as he led me towards the other prince—the crown prince. Benjamin was currently speaking with one of the princesses while he held a plate in hand, but he stopped when he saw us approaching. His gaze took me in, and I didn’t miss the way astonishment slid in before he schooled his expression down.
Then his eyes lit up, and he was excusing himself to turn to me.
“Prince Benjamin, I’d like you to meet our late arrival. She just arrived from her flight and came straight here to attend this ball. This is Princess Elizabeth of Finnick.”
Promptly, I bowed the way I was taught. Benjamin bowed in return, taking my hand and kissing the back of it lightly. To someone who knew him well, he was obviously trying to contain his mischief.
“A pleasure to meet you, Princess. I’m so glad you could join us, no matter how late. I hope you know that every guest is welcome here.”
I giggled, affecting the cover-up that Lucas and I thought up—a ditzy princess who talked too much and remembered too little. “Thank you, Your Highness. That’s very kind of you. I’ve been wanting to meet you for so long! I hope you really don’t mind and you’re not just being polite.”
The words had the princess beside him staring at me in shock. Benjamin grinned, trying to stifle a laugh. Beside me, Lucas kept his poker expression on, and an urge to make him smile came at me. Remembering my mission, I turned to Benjamin instead.
“Would you care to tell me more about what I missed?”
“Of course. Princess Ana, would you excuse me while I pay some attention to our new guest?”
The blond princess bowed gracefully. “Of course not. Go ahead.”
“Shall we get a bite to eat Ana?” Lucas said graciously.
They both wandered off, leaving me wanting to stare but refraining myself. We got into position, and soon I was in Benjamin’s arms and dancing the night away. Again, Benjamin looked surprised that I was pulling it off well—even better than when I was dancing with Lucas, in fact. But then again, I was much more relaxed now, with Benjamin making it easier as he gave me a reassuring smile.
“You’re doing pretty well,” he said.
“Thanks,” I said cheekily.
“What’s your plan of attack?”
I winked at him. “That’s something only I should know.”
He threw back his head in laughter at my response, and I grinned. Belatedly, I noticed that everyone was staring at us now, something that made me self-conscious. Was my dress wrinkled now? Was my hair in disarray? Did I—
“Stop thinking too much,” Benjamin warned. “Focus on me. Did my brother give you a hard time?”
I took a deep breath, then did as instructed. I tilted my head at his question, realizing the answer was easy.
“If you mean him being cruel, then no. He was very nice.”
Because I’m doing it for my brother.
I could still hear Lucas’ determined voice.
“I knew he’d warm up to you. You’re irresistible to everyone…including me.” He winked, and I giggled again. We twirled away, goofing around as he teased me. I realized he was doing it to ease my nerves, and it worked, because soon I didn’t even care about the other guests staring and just enjoyed the moment.
After the dance, Benjamin took me to the side and left me so he could go mingle with everyone else. I checked out the food and was delighted to see that I could recognize most of the selection and knew who cooked or created which food. Mrs. Bentley really did spoil me and Darla.
Speaking of Darla…my eyes scanned the crowd, knowing she was doing some waitressing job right now. I finally spotted her on the other end, smiling as she served champagne to the guests. Our eyes met for a fraction of a second, and I watched her smile widen before she looked away. She was another one of the few who knew what was up, and she had repeatedly expressed her excitement for me.
“Good evening. You’re Princess Elizabeth?”
The words brought my attention back, and I found the blond from earlier eyeing me. She looked interested, not at all cold, and I found myself smiling and nodding. Beside her stood a black-haired beauty, one with pretty green eyes and a wary expression.
“Yes, but please call me Liz. I’m terribly sorry, I didn’t catch your names,” I said, keeping my tone gentle but bright.
The blond readily held out her hand for a handshake, then introduced herself as the English Princess Ana. The black-haired beauty was a princess named Julianne from Russia. They tried probing me about where I came from, and I gave out whatever information I could, most of it made up but some true—like the fact that I had a younger brother who loved to read. They responded with tales of their own, and I tried to cock my ear for any semblance of a lie.
Soon, I was confident enough to mingle with the others and introduce myself first, then chatter a mile a minute about where I was from and how lovely everyone was. Some opened up immediately to me, while others were more cautious and treated this as a competition more than anything. Princess Ana really was one of the friendly ones, and once we found out we were of a similar age, we were practically inseparable as we chatted.
“Did you come here voluntarily or did your father send you over?” she asked.
“Well, my father was always interested in Osmerol—unfortunately, a family emergency didn’t allow him to come, so I came in his place. It’s a shame, though, because this is a really lovely place.”
I was pretty satisfied with my response. It didn’t pose a threat to anyone who wanted the prince, but it also wasn’t too farfetched.
“What about you, princess?” I asked after a while.
Ana sighed. “Well, my father did send me. He’s busy, too. But it wasn’t like I was forced or anything. In truth…I’ve read about the prince in magazines and thought he was such a philosophical charmer. So I got curious and wanted to meet him.”
“And what do you think now?”
“I think he’s living up to his reputation.”
I tilted my head. “What is his reputation?”
“The kind, charming prince who only wants goodness for his kingdom. Have you heard the way he talks about Osmerol? It’s clear he loves this place more than life.”
Yes, I knew. I also knew her wistful tone wasn’t casual at all, and it didn’t take long for me to realize that this certain princess had really fallen for Benjamin—hook, line, sinker. It made me wonder if she really was who she was, or if she was faking an identity just to be close to him. It was hard to tell.
“I’m sure he has some secrets in his closet, just like we do,” I said lightly.
“Maybe,” she said. “But if he chooses me, I’ll always be honest with him and tell him all the things he needs to hear to be a better ruler.”
I still couldn’t tell whether that was intentional or not, and I decided I was going to get a headache if I thought too much on my first night pretending. I smiled at her and winked.
“That’s the spirit. I’m just here for the food,” I admitted.
She looked startled. Then she grinned at me, obviously finding it the most amusing thing in the world.
I snorted out laughter, my eyes widening at the not-so-dainty sound. Ana's eyes widened. Then she giggled, too, though it was more graceful than mine sounded. We were in the middle of our laugh fest when I happened to look around, wondering if anyone caught on and found us the most bizarre duo in this hall.
My gaze caught Lucas' profile, and it took me a few seconds to take in the scene. The laugh froze on my face, then disappeared altogether as I took in the sight of him.
He was standing beside a woman—an older woman who had gorgeous chestnut hair in a braid and equally gorgeous blue eyes. She was wearing black with some gold trimming, which showed she was a royal in mourning. Those were the official colors one had to wear for a year or two if a husband or direct family member died. They were standing very close, not at all a casual stance but rather an intimate one. The woman was talking, and Lucas was paying so much attention that he almost looked enraptured.
He leaned his head and whispered something near her ear, and whatever it was had her smiling in amusement. Her eyes flared, and she shot him a playful look before whispering back. His eyes crinkled, then he grinned—the first open grin I saw from him that I was momentarily stunned at how beautiful it looked on him.
Were they together? Did they kiss at night?
Did he touch her?
Something in my chest ached, tightening until it was almost suffocating. I became out of breath as my head swam, and it took me a while to realize what exactly it was I was feeling.
It was jealousy.
“Are you okay, Princess? You look very pale. Is something the matter?”
I forced myself to smile, turning my attention back to Ana. “Nothing’s wrong. Please, call me Liz. I'd love for us to be friends.”
Ana beamed, and I thought she looked really pretty. “Okay, Liz. Please call me Ana.”
The exchange of good gesture painfully reminded me of when a certain prince asked me to call him by name, but I tried to shake it off. With another smile, I gave Ana an innocent but eager look.
“I don't think I've met all the princesses,” I said. I paused. “Have you?”
Ana nodded. “Of course. How rude of me. Come on. I'll introduce you to them. Most of them are nice.”
I didn't miss the most and shot her an amused look. She returned it with a stifled smirk and began to steer me in their direction. Steeling my shoulders, I resisted the urge to look in a certain direction again.
I had to concentrate on Benjamin. Benjamin, not Lucas.
It was a mantra stuck in my head.
Find the impostor and stop thinking about anything else. Or anyone else.
Then I followed Ana and kept repeating it.