CHAPTER SIX

The men

I felt sick as I led the way back into the ballroom. Even with Cynder teaching me, plus all the hours I’d put in with Stephan, I still didn’t feel comfortable dancing in front of hundreds of strangers. With my dress flowing down to the floor, I was confident that no one would see the sneakers Cynder had given to me, which was my only solace.

In the corner, an orchestra played soft music as we all entered, and the photographers and camera crews that were there earlier, now stood around the edge of the ballroom, all lenses trained on me.

My first dance was to be with my father so as not to show preference straight away. I was also instructed not to dance with any of the five that I’d already picked so that all the other men felt like they still had a chance. I had to dance with at least two others before dancing with one of the five.

My father took my hand and led me out into the center of the floor. Hundreds of flashes went off again as the orchestra struck up a waltz I’d learned with Stephan.

My father guided me skilfully, and, to my relief, a minute or so in, all the other couples took to the floor until I was hidden amongst two hundred other dancers. When the music changed, and my mother took my place, I picked a couple dancing nearby and cut in. At any other occasion, I’d have felt incredibly rude, but here, it was something I was expected to do. Both the hundred men and the hundred young ladies had been briefed, and the girl in question curtseyed as she let me take her partner. Her partner, I remembered from the lineup as being polite enough although bland in the looks department. He seemed quite surprised to find himself dancing with me which put me at ease. He wasn’t the best dancer in the world, but between us, we managed a few turns around the dance floor without crashing into anyone.

When it came the time to find one of the five I’d already picked, I had to look closely. The hall was filled with the movement of couples and colorful dresses, all spinning around to the music. I caught sight of a blond head that I immediately recognized as Daniel. He was dancing with Agatha, who had been chosen to attend. I watched them both for a second and felt jealous as they moved together exceptionally well. It seemed my maid was something of a dancer. I’d have to ask her about it in the morning. I cut in between them and saw Agatha give me the thumbs up as she disappeared into the crowd.

“Oh, no. Now I have to dance with a stunning princess after eating the best meal I’ve ever had,” he said with mock sincerity. “My life sucks right now.”

I grinned up at him. “I can leave if you like.”

“Nah, I’ve already missed the match. I may as well stay.”

“Match? You follow football?”

“No, I hate it. I just thought it might be more preferable to coming here tonight. Dancing around with the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen is so boring.”

“It is, is it?” I tried not to fixate on the part where he’d called me beautiful.

“Utterly dull. I’d rather watch paint dry.”

“Watching paint dry can be rewarding if you have the right paint.”

“I always buy tartan paint. It does so set off my collection of chocolate teapots.”

I laughed. The guy was a goofball, and my conversation with him was nothing like I expected.

“I’m glad to see you’ve gotten over your trials and tribulations.”

“Tribulations?”

“Fighting those bears,” I continued. “You must be very strong.”

“With these puppies, I could fight off anything.” He stopped dancing and posed with his arms flexed. He had such a cheesy grin on his face; I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Tell me about yourself,” I asked, pulling his arms back around me.

“I live in town and work with my father. We are carpenters.”

“Oh, and what do you make?”

He pointed to the throne at the top of the room. ”You see that chair over there?”

“You made that?”

“No, It’s nice though, huh?”

I swiped him playfully on the shoulder. “Are you ever serious?”

“Not if I can help it. I am a carpenter though. We have made a lot of furniture for the palace. I think the biggest thing was your father’s desk.”

“You made that? It’s beautiful.” And it was. It had been hand carved out of mahogany with the royal crest in marquetry on the top in the most extravagant style.

“Thank you. Hold on!”

“Hold on?”

He grabbed me tighter and spun me around faster and faster to the music until I was dizzy and then ended it by dipping me down. I heard people clapping around us and the popping of more flashbulbs as the camera’s captured the moment.

He pulled me back up and gave me a hug. It should have been inappropriate, but it felt nice. He’d firmly cemented himself as one of the five I chose to stay on after the ball.

“That was a blast,” he whispered, and then he disappeared into the crowd.

I was still feeling wonderfully light when Xavier came to me. He took my hand and waist and guided me as the music started again. Unlike Daniel, his style was polished and much less fun. However, he was impossibly beautiful, and my father had thrown him into the mix for a reason. I just had to figure out exactly what that reason was.

“Thank you for choosing to dance with me,” he said although it had been he that had come to me and not the other way around. He spoke with an accent that I couldn’t quite place. I wondered if he was a prince like Luca although it hadn’t said so on his form. It would explain why my father had favored him. I noticed he had a dimple in his chin. On most people, it would look cute or charming, but “cute” didn’t fit him at all. He was stunning. There was no other word for it, and to call him cute underestimated just how beautiful he was. Despite his good looks, he also had a hard look to him. Not manly, as such, although he was; but as if there was a lot going on under the surface. Just what, I had no idea, but I wanted to find out.

“Thank you for coming,” I replied, feeling awkward. For all my lessons with Jenny, nothing had really prepared me for this. None of the memorized questions really seemed fitting, and Xavier’s obvious beauty was off-putting. Maybe I should have picked someone ugly. I might have found it easier to converse with them. “What brings you to Silverwood?”

He looked surprised at my question. “I’m from here. I came to the ball to meet you.”

Now it was my turn to be surprised. “Your accent isn’t from around here.”

“I’ve traveled a lot. My mother died when I was young, and my father moved around a lot for his job. I picked up my accent from the places we stayed. We were never in one place longer than a few months, so it has a little bit of everything in it.”

I didn’t believe him. At least not the accent part. I’d heard the accent before, probably at some royal function or other. I just couldn’t place it. “I’m sorry to hear about the loss of your mother. That must have been hard for you.”

“It was a long time ago. I barely remember her. Let us not talk of such dark things. Now is the night to dance and have fun.”

And so we danced. He was an elegant dancer, with not a single misstep, and although I struggled to keep up with him, he expertly led me around the room, not staying in one place, but guiding me so that everyone saw us together, which was probably his intention.

When the song ended, he reluctantly let me go, before bowing down to me curtly. Despite myself, I liked him too. He had depths I wanted to explore and, even though he was like no man I’d ever met before, there was something about him. The next song was just about to start, and I was without a partner. As the orchestra began, I saw Prince Luca dancing with the very same kitchen maid that had flirted with him earlier. Even though I was beginning to think I should mentally move him from my maybe pile onto my nope pile, the thought of coming between the two was just too good to resist. With Alexander and Leo lost in the crowd somewhere, he was the only one I could see to dance with anyway.

I cut in between the two, giving the kitchen maid my widest smile. She curtseyed reluctantly and smiled, but before she turned away, I saw her smile turn into a grimace.

“My lady,” he said.

“I’m not your lady yet,” I said.

“Yet!” he said, picking up on my unfortunate choice of words.

“That remains to be seen,” I replied coolly. His dancing technique was not as refined as Xavier’s, but he knew the moves alright. He pulled me close to him, much closer than I felt comfortable with, and led me around the dance floor. I had no choice but to rest my head on his shoulder, although it gave me a crick in my neck as he was so tall. As we spun around, I could see the jealous looks of scores of the women. I tried to ignore them; after all, I really wasn’t sure about Prince Luca. Sure, he’d be a good political match and marrying him would be good for the kingdom. But the things Cynder had said about him kept swirling through my mind. With my head on his shoulder, I couldn’t tell if he was looking at other women or not. I felt his stubble on my cheek. It had looked sexy on him, but at such close proximity, it just hurt my cheek. At one point I saw Leo dance past, and I was surprised to see Elise in his arms. She had her eyes closed and a look of bliss on her face. At the end of this dance, I’d go and find Alexander to dance with. I couldn’t be the one to wipe that smile from my younger sister’s face.

I didn’t have a chance to finish the thought because just then, a huge boom sounded, and rubble began to fly through the air. The room went dark, and in the panic, all I could hear were the screams of the people around me.

The ballroom had exploded.