CHAPTER NINE #2
Now, the famous dance troupe, the Celestial Dragons, were concluding their second dance of the day, which was really little more than a fill-in between the wedding ceremony and dinner.
This performance had been called ‘The Grove of Trees’, but in contrast with their earlier dance, which had held a strong sense of peace and tranquillity, this performance had been full of energy, the troupe proving that they were not just amazing dancers, but also talented acrobats.
In a flashy finale, three of the young women were thrown into the air, performing a double somersault complete with flowing ribbons in green and lilac, before being deftly caught by six large alphas, and then effortlessly landing in a final pose that seemed to defy gravity.
There was a momentary silence, then the entire courtyard erupted in applause. Breathing hard, the dancers held the pose for long seconds, then the women jumped down, the full line-up taking a bow before filing neatly off the makeshift stage.
“Please put your hands together one more time for the Celestial Dragons!” Lord Nae, one of the more senior nobles, had been invited to be the Master of Ceremonies for the festival, and he strode onto the stage now, wearing a cream suit and a beaming smile.
He’d been doing a marvellous job so far, making sure everyone knew what was next on the timetable, where to catch the shuttle buses to and from the temple, and tossing in a few timely compliments towards some of the nobles – most often the ladies in extravagant dresses who were all but begging for attention as the day wore on.
“Ladies and Gentlemen,” Lord Nae said, once the applause settled down.
“Please begin making your way towards the gardens at the rear of the palace. Dinner will be served in half an hour, followed by the long awaited ball. I’m sure there are plenty of ladies longing to step out on the dance floor and show off those gorgeous gowns.
That’s something to look forward to, so I’ll see you all there at eight o’clock. ”
Ryu didn’t bother standing up just yet. Protocol dictated that the royal family, along with their distinguished guests, couldn’t move yet, lest it be interpreted that they’d just taken orders from a man who was inferior to them.
Instead, they had to wait around and chat, moving only when it was deemed enough time had passed that it was their own decision to move.
The fact that the queen herself had arranged the timetable for the day and coordinated how everyone should move about the palace was irrelevant, and Ryu couldn’t help reflect on the absurdity of the colossal array of customs that dictated his life.
Sadly, the same was not true for the majority of the nobility, and there were a number of young ladies who had not yet found their soulmates who took the opportunity to try and get Ryu’s attention.
As he’d mentioned to his mother a few nights ago, the nobility were only interested in following tradition until the Goddess decided to match them up with someone deemed ‘beneath’ them.
So despite the fact that the entire country currently expected Ryu to marry his soulmate, a lot of the younger noble women would also have been encouraged to ‘keep their options open’, as it were.
So much for enjoying the day. The first young woman meandered past the stand the royal family were seated on, making a show of tossing her hair and fanning herself with an ornate bamboo and silk fan.
“Oh, Goddess, save me,” Ryu muttered, turning quickly to Jasmine. “Please, talk to me about something. Anything. Just distract me so I don’t have to smile at the women strutting about like prized livestock.”
A satirical grin lit Jasmine’s face, and Ryu immediately braced himself for her response. As much as she’d proven herself to be a like-minded ally throughout the day, she also had a wicked penchant for mischief.
“Oh, that gown is just lovely,” she called loudly, getting the attention of the woman with the fan. “Such a beautiful blue. Your Highness, don’t you think that’s a wonderful gown?”
The woman preened herself as she heard the comment, fluttering both her fan and her eyelashes faster.
Noticing the attention she was receiving, one of her competitors immediately hastened over, ‘accidentally’ dropping a handkerchief just in front of the royal stand, so that she had an excuse to stop and make a show of picking it up.
Two or three others were hot on her heels, though at the same time, they were trying not to look like they were rushing.
“You are evil,” Ryu hissed at Jasmine, before turning to the woman with the fan. “You look radiant, Miss Dahn,” he said more loudly, then managed not to roll his eyes as the young woman shot her peers a look of smug satisfaction. She strutted away, hips swaying, hair flouncing around her.
“How else are we supposed to keep the evening interesting?” Jasmine asked, not at all put out by Ryu’s complaint.
“Play cards?” Ryu suggested blithely. “Recite lists of my ancestors. Make bets on who’s going to twist their ankle in their high heels? Any one of those would be more interesting than-”
“Oh, by the Goddess, would you look at those shoes!” Jasmine squealed suddenly, pointing at one of the ladies loitering in front of the stand. “They are just gorgeous!”
The lady wearing said shoes smiled coyly, lifting her gown just a fraction higher to reveal a hint of her ankle – a risqué flash of flesh for a social class who were supposed to be the epitome of modesty and decorum.
“Goddess save me from idiots in fancy shoes,” Ryu muttered. The comment got Jasmine’s attention, but not in the way he’d intended.
“What makes you so sure all these women are idiots?” she asked, her tone unruffled, but the question pointed nonetheless.
“Some of them have university educations. They could be talented musicians, or artists, or secretly enjoy woodwork or mycology. For all you know, they’re just as tired of keeping up appearances as you are, and they’re only doing this because their parents insist that they try and curry favour with the royal family. ”
“You’re probably right,” Ryu said. “And yes, I’m being unfair to them.
Some of them, at least. And for what it’s worth, an interest in fashion in and of itself is not a bad thing.
The thing that pisses me off is that they, and their parents, and the media, all assume that wearing a pretty dress and strutting about with swaying hips is the best way to get my attention.
They would do far better if they set out to raise money for charity, or if they can actually play an instrument, hold a recital or something.
Why aren’t I allowed to be interested in actual people, instead of how much they can afford to spend on a custom-made dress and an overpriced hairdresser? ”
“I don’t mean to play devil’s advocate, but have you tried actually talking to them, to find out what else they’ve got going for them?”
“Have you tried meeting your soulmate, to find out if he’s actually not a pompous git who wants to knock you up straight away?”
“Touché,” Jasmine said, a wry smile showing that she hadn’t taken offence to the sarcastic suggestion.
“Some mysteries are better left unexplored. But just out of curiosity, what sort of person would you be interested in marrying? That’s not a come-on, by the way,” she added quickly, with a laugh.
“I didn’t come to Galandeen to go shopping for a husband. ”
Knowing that Jasmine was firmly off the market was a relief.
Even if the media wanted to set them up together, at least now Ryu didn’t have to worry about her taking any of his attention the wrong way.
But the question posed an enormous problem nonetheless.
There was exactly one person in the world he was interested in marrying, and that came with two problems: number one, said person was most definitely not his soulmate, and number two, he had no way of knowing if Kentario would be interested, even if it was a realistic option.
Mercifully, a voice interrupted them before he was forced to come up with an answer to the question.
“Your Highness?” Well, speak of the devil. “Your parents are making a move towards the gardens,” Kentario informed them, sticking to Ryu’s formal title, given the copious audience. “Would you like to follow?”
It was deliberately phrased as a question, lest he be seen to be giving orders to the crown prince, but at the same time, the implications of the question were clear: get your ass in gear and move.
“Shall we?” Ryu asked Jasmine, standing up and offering her his arm.
“It would be a pleasure,” she said, just loud enough for the loitering women to hear. She stood up, making a show of tossing her long braid over her shoulder, then slipped her arm through his.
But for all Jasmine’s enjoyment of the afternoon, Kentario was apparently still in a bad mood.
His scowl deepened as Ryu and Jasmine made their way off the platform…
but then Ryu spotted the probable reason why.
Captain Landis had arrived as well and had fallen into line beside Danag.
No doubt Kentario was still holding a grudge against the man for his actions earlier in the week.
Thankfully, with Jasmine on his arm, Ryu got a few minutes peace, as none of the noble ladies would dare try and interrupt them. But as they followed the royal party towards the gardens, he overheard the conversation between the two men.
“There are two omegas on the list of new guard trainees for next season,” Danag was saying, his tone far from pleased, though he kept his voice low.
“I thought you said omegas weren’t capable of completing the training?
” It was no secret that Maro and Danag had never seen eye to eye, but at the same time, both had managed to maintain a professional respect for the other throughout their years of service.
But now that Danag’s son was involved, it seemed that the veneer of civility was being pushed to the limit – a point that was made all the more clear by the competing scents drifting off the two men.
Both were thick with spice, as they sent aggressive ‘stay back’ messages in olfactory form.
"It turns out that Queen Elise’s suggestion held a lot of wisdom,” Maro said.
“There were actually three omegas who signed up, but in light of her request regarding Cael, I thought I’d put each of them through a preliminary trial before dismissing them out of hand.
One of them was a complete failure, but the other two showed surprising promise.
I thought it wouldn’t do any harm to at least let them complete the first six months.
After that, if they prove they can’t keep up, then I’ll reassess the situation. ”
“You do realise you’re risking wasting precious time and energy training people who will only drop out when they find out how difficult the training is?”
“It is a risk,” Maro agreed, and Ryu felt himself bristle at the casual disregard for the gender. “But since the queen was the one to suggest it, I would be rather concerned about offending her if I didn’t at least give them a chance. Or are you suggesting I simply disregard Her Majesty’s wishes?”
“Not at all,” Danag said, after a telling pause. “I’m merely concerned that the Guard remain strong and capable.”
“Oh?” Maro said, the slightest hint of amusement in his voice. “If you have any concerns about any particular member of the Guard, I’d be most interested to hear about it.”
He was answering Danag’s challenge with a challenge of his own; either name names and tell him who exactly wasn’t up to scratch, or shut the hell up.
Since Maro was in charge of maintaining the Royal Guard and organising all of their training, the intended slight against his soldiers was no doubt quite insulting.
Though he held a high position in the palace, Danag knew that the Guard was outside his direct authority.
“They seem to be performing well enough,” he conceded in the end. “But if I notice anything amiss, I’ll be sure to let you know.”