Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
U pon arrival, I had quietly slipped away from Regalius in search of the royal library. While my husband caught up with his friends, I chose to enrich my knowledge of Grewt’en’s history. I walked alone down the castle corridors, debating whether I should ask a royal staff member for directions or not. A trio turned the corner, coming toward me. Two handsome men had their arms looped with the princess in the middle.
I smiled, recognizing my dear friend, Princess Fairness Althea of Queendom Grewt’en. She had not noticed me yet as she smiled up at the man on her right. She giggled at something he said, then her attention returned to the male on her left. Her long, flaming red hair was styled loosely, cascading in soft waves to her waist. She wore a simple but elegant sky-blue silk dress with only gold rings around her neck to keep the fabric in place. Her green eyes landed on me and instantly lit up.
“Serenity!” Fairness squealed as she let go of her escorts. My friend ran into my open arms and engulfed me in a tight embrace. “Oh, how I have missed you!”
“I have missed you as well.” I hugged her tightly, breathing in the floral aroma that wafted from her hair.
“Where is that regal husband of yours?” She teased, pulling back from our embrace. Her hands reaching down to hold both of mine.
“Oh, you know, catching up with his friends.” I laughed. “I was on my way to trying to find your library, and well . . .” I trailed off.
“You are headed in the correct direction!” She beamed, squeezing my hands warmly with excitement. “Take a left at the end of the corridor, and then the double-edged doors will be on your right.”
“Thank you, my dear friend. We need to catch up.” I squeezed her soft hands in gratitude. Fairness had become close to me like another sister in these past few months with our frequent letter exchanges. She helped me navigate the last courting season in Hayverton, and now, with the winter one being in her home, I would be able to breathe easier. Many of the single females were still bitter that I had taken Regalius off the market. Their sour faces and curled lips followed me everywhere I went, sneering at me behind my back. More times than naught, I would catch Fairness staring them down until they would break and look away.
“Yes, we do! Alright, I will leave you to your books. I am on my way to have some other type of fun.” She gave me a saucy look, by indicating her head to the two males waiting for her. She pulled me into a quick, tight embrace once more before letting go to catch up with her escorts. I chuckled quietly, shaking my head. If delightful could be emulated in a person, Fairness would be it. I had no doubt she would be an amazing queen and powerful allying monarchy when it was her time to take the throne.
“How did I know that I would find you in here.” Regalius chuckled in the silence of the library.
“Because I am predictable,” I replied without missing a beat, focusing on the sentence of the book I was reading.
“That is a bold statement to make,” he replied, plopping in the chair beside mine.
“Hmm, why would you say that?” I tried to focus on my reading, but my curiosity was getting the best of me.
“Because only when it comes to literature are you predictable. Everything else in life you surprise me.”
“Could make ruling a Kingdom quite interesting in the future then,” I joked lightly. A knot formed in my stomach whenever I thought about the future. Would I even be a decent queen? My usual research of historical texts to complete my book changed to reading every detail about past queens and their contributions or failures while ruling. I paid additional attention to my reading while having access to Queendom Grewt’en’s royal library. They had only ever been ruled by queens and in rare occurrences did a queen marry one of her consorts. Grewt’en was the only queendom in the six monarchies. Theorines would switch between kingdom and queendom, depending on the heir but that was it.
The royal library in Grewt’en had a whole section devoted to past queens from all the monarchies. Unbeknownst to many of these monarchies, the Queens of Grewt’en had been spying on the rulers and taking serious notes. Access to spying became easier once my mother-in-law began her courting season when she was a young, new queen. The recordings went from sparse grasping when rulers visited one another to books filled with each queen and princess during all their exchanges of the courting seasons through the years. There were even detail reports of dealings with the kings. I chalked it up more to biasness in the writings, but Queen Spite appeared to have many difficulties when dealing with the kings of the surrounding monarchies.
I highly doubted Queen Opal was aware of the information being kept here about her and other female rulers. While it had not been my top priority, my interest was piqued by how my mother-in-law had carefully curated The Courting Seasons. Someday, I planned to ask her more on the topic. Prior to her, marriages primarily stayed within the individual’s respectable monarchy. The only exception being arranged marriages. Now, though, it has opened new connections between members of various lands and ranks. This was another thing: Queen Opal had never intended for her only child to marry anyone other than a royal from another monarchy. Months later, my mother-in-law’s ice heart had still not thawed about her son marrying a Lord’s daughter, which was practically a peasant status in Queen Opal’s mind.
I had quite a bit of difficulty withholding my apparent delight in the way Queen Spite wrote about my mother-in-law when they were younger and both still princesses. Queen Spite must have grown to respect Queen Opal because the beginning started off crude and unfavorable to the later endings noted on accomplishments. It appears the minor mistakes Queen Opal made were not as grave as what other queens had done. My mother-in-law almost sounded like the perfect ruler with minimal errors. I doubt that could be the case by how cruel she was to anyone not a royal.
“Did you plan to change before the ball?” Regalius asked, changing the subject. I looked down at my blue dress and did not see the point of spending hours being pampered by maids for a ball.
“No, I think I will wear this one. Mind if I meet you there?” I asked while debating on the next book from which I would be taking notes.
“Go ahead,” he chuckled, knowing full well I would be reading until the last possible minute.
Hours later, I paused in the doorway, looking over the crowd in search of the familiar black locks adorned with a gold crown. I came up empty for the first pass, and the second. Had I beat my husband here? There was also no sign of my friend, Fairness, amongst the crowd. Sighing, I would resign to grab a beverage from the drink table and claim a high-top table while waiting.
I barely took a step when strong arms circled my waist, pulling me tightly against a muscular chest. I let out an involuntary oomph from the impact. Tilting my head back into the stranger’s chest, I looked up to find the familiar jade eyes and a single dimple smiling down at me. I smiled and attempted to turn around, but my hair became entangled in one of Regalius’s shirt buttons.
“Ow,” I let out when I felt the strands being ripped from my scalp.
“Hold still,” he replied quietly while his fingers started to untangle the strands from his button. Patiently, I stood there waiting while guests passed us with curious glances. I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to stamp down the embarrassment.
“There, you are free,” he replied at last when I was able to stand up straight and no longer be held at mercy at the awkward angle. I smoothed down my dress as if I could smooth away the mortification I felt.
“Thank you,” I mumbled, blinking back the tears that threatened my eyes. Already shame falling upon me at the first event of this courting season in front of the other guests.
Regalius’s finger came under my chin as he guided me to look at him. When he saw the tears threatening to spill, his happiness turned to concern. He lowered his head to mine and kissed my lips softly. I returned the peck and looked at him confused. When he pulled away, he pointed upwards, and I glanced at the mistletoe that hung above us. I looked at him and back up at the mistletoe, a new blush gracing my cheeks. He leaned down and kissed me again, which I welcomed more freely this time.
“Next time, it might not be me who finds you under the mistletoe,” he joked, breaking the kiss.
“I was unaware of its presence above me,” I confessed.
“And here you wound me; I thought you were waiting for me to come to kiss you,” he joked dramatically.
A giggle escaped me as I quickly wiped away the tears that lingered, my mood lightening.
His smile deepened, revealing the dimple. He offered me his right arm, and I graciously took it.
“Come, let us dance, my wife.”
I nodded, and he led us to the center of the dance floor. It was not our monarchy, and I worried at the implications of the meaning for us to be in the center of all the guests and the message it would send to Queen Spite.
When Regalius went to drop my arm to position us, his hand slid down to mine, clasped it, led me into a twirl away from him, and then spun me back into him. My left hand fell upon his right shoulder as his free hand landed on my left hip. He gave me a devilish smile, and before I could scold him, he dipped me low, dropping a kiss on my neck and then bringing me back up to him. A thrill rushed through me as I gave him a full smile.
A new song started, and we fell into step with the other guests. I paid no mind to anyone else as he guided me around the dance floor in tempo to the beat. With every dip, he left another mark on my neck, and I gave him a wink with every twirl. By the end of the first dance, we were out of breath, and when I looked around, I realized we had cleared quite a wide berth between us and the other couples.
A slow clap echoed through the ballroom, and we all looked up at the dais where Queen Spite sat with all her lovers barely dressed appropriately. My stomach knotted from the unabashed attention of The Ruthless Queen.
“Well done, Prince Regalius Baylor and your partner . . .” she trailed off as if I had never been introduced to her. My husband pulled me slightly closer into his arms.
“My wife, Princess Serenity, the future queen of T’Lovoness,” he replied with ease. I dared not look away from The Queen, but Regalius held me protectively.
“Ah, yes. How could I forget you had married recently.” She dismissed it with a laugh, but it lacked warmth. She had been in attendance at our wedding, and I felt she was testing the heir of T’Lovoness. There was no telling when the current King and Queen would step down for their son to step into his role. It could be months or even decades; by then, Princess Fairness, the heir of Queendom Grewt’en, could become queen.
The shift of Regalius as he nodded, brushed against my hair. He dismissed us from The Grewt’en Queen and led us off the dance floor. He was not without his own flare; just before we exited, he guided me into three twirls before catching me and continuing our walk to the beverage table. The room spun slightly, and I was grateful to lean on him as we walked.
“Was it necessary to spin me?” I laughed.
“If it meant bringing that musical sound out of you, then yes.” He leaned down and gave me a peck.
“Spin me again then,” I challenged.
Regalius did not even pause to consider my words; he stepped back and obeyed, leading me into a slow spin while walking us the final steps to our destination. A few princes and princesses gave us disdainful looks, but Regalius paid them no attention. I decided that if he did not care, then neither did I.
He handed me a glass of wine that I gratefully accepted. I paced myself with the sips so as not to come off ill-mannered.
“Kiss,” a random person yelled, and we both looked at each other confused, before trying to find the source. Another guest chimed in, and another. We looked at the people around us and then back to each other trying to figure out the absurdity that was happening.
Princess Fairness pushed through the chanting ‘kiss’ crowd and, out of breath, pointed upwards when her hand landed on my wrist. Regalius and I followed her pointing finger to find another mistletoe hanging directly above where we stood. We looked at each other smiling and, with a shrug, kissed each other. Everyone around us cheered in appreciation. I barely noticed the warmth of Princess Fairness’s hand leaving when she removed it. Regalius deepened the kiss by dipping me, and the onlookers cheered even more wildly from our display of affection. He righted me, and the kiss broke. I was dizzy from the wine and kiss, smiling at my handsome husband and wondering how I had become this lucky in life.
Princess Fairness coughed, bringing our attention back to her. She wore a shimmery, almost translucid mint green dress now — her two escorts from earlier were nowhere in sight.
“I would be mindful of where you stand. The whole palace has been adorned in mistletoe. Mother did it in an attempt to make the winter courting seasons more . . . festive .” She rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders.
“And by festive, you mean she wanted some gossip,” I replied.
“That sums it up.” Fairness shrugged again while grabbing a glass of wine for herself.
I dared not speak my thoughts on Queen Spite with this many listeners in proximity to us. She was playing a dangerous game of the drama she could cause with this much mistletoe.
“What happens if someone refuses to kiss under the mistletoe?” I asked, my curiosity unable to wait and find out lest I find myself in the situation.
“If Mother is nearby, and the kiss is rejected, the couple may be forced to kiss longer than just a simple peck by her order.” Princess Fairness swirled the wine in her glass, watching the liquid as if it were the most amusing thing in this room.
“Then that could definitely start a stir between married couples if one was caught without the other,” I mused slowly while my eyes met Regalius’s, and we silently agreed we would not be without the other.
“Mother does not care, and it is not the way of our Queendom.” Princess Fairness sighed as if to say when in Grewt’en, you are to be held up to their views in life. “Anyway, I only wanted to warn you and to grab a drink. I need to be off to find my next catch!” The familiar light graced her face as she bounded off into the crowd again. We watched her in silence for a beat, and then our surrounding crowd changed out a bit, and a new chant of kisses erupted. Regalius gave me a quick peck and led me away from the wine table avoiding the cacophony of mistletoe hung about.