Chapter 4 #3
The food was incredible and delicious, as always. It was all perfectly cooked and seasoned, and I had to force myself to slow down and enjoy it. A footman hovered nearby and refilled my wine glass every time it was empty without me having to even think about it.
A while later, the band appeared on the opposite side of the room near the doors, and they set up to begin playing. It was a six-piece band, and they started with a relaxed melody to close out the eating portion of our celebratory feast.
“That was so good,” Yori sighed as she slumped in her seat.
“It really was,” I agreed and turned to Serra. “Did you enjoy the food?”
“I did.” She smiled softly at me. “It was delectable.”
Just then, the band concluded their introductory song and began a much livelier melody that was intended to get people up and dancing.
“Oh, let’s dance!” Yori giggled. “Ken? Will you dance with me?”
“It would be my pleasure,” I said as I stood up and walked around to her seat.
“May I have the honor, Your Majesty?” Phil asked as he offered a hand to Tanell.
“You may,” my golden-blonde queen replied.
I was worried about Serra being left at the table by herself, but she smiled at me in a reassuring manner.
“I’ll take the next dance,” she told me.
“You’ve got it.” I grinned.
Yori almost dragged me out onto the dance floor, and dozens of couples quickly joined us as the band shifted into the next song.
“Don’t let me fall?” Yori gazed up into my face with the first bit of nervousness I’d seen in her all evening.
“Never,” I promised.
I placed my hand on the small of her back and took hers in my other hand. Her fingers curled over mine, and she placed her free hand up on my shoulder.
It still took a fair amount of my concentration to follow the steps correctly, but it was getting easier.
Thanks to Serra’s excellent tutelage, I was able to lead Yori through the dance without embarrassing either one of us, and she laughed brightly as I spun her in a final twirl that perfectly matched the last lilting notes of the song.
“Oh, Ken!” Yori laughed as she melted into my arms. “I never liked dancing, but with you, it’s so much fun.”
“I love dancing with you, too,” I said, and fire started to kindle deep in my gut. “And I love doing other kinds of dancing with you, too.”
Yori’s face turned bright red from the champagne and my flirting, and she fell into a fit of girlish giggles.
“I promised Serra the next dance,” I said. “But I’ll see you again real soon.”
“You bet your backside you will,” Yori laughed.
I led her back to the table and held my hand out to my silver-blonde queen for her dance.
“Ready?” I asked.
“I was born ready,” Serra said with a cheeky grin. “Are you ready?”
“Thanks to you, I am,” I snorted as we walked to the dance floor. “I never would have been able to get through an event like this without your help.”
“You would have been fine,” she said.
“Suuuuure!” I laughed.
Serra was a much more graceful dance partner than Yori, simply because she’d been performing the steps basically since she’d learned to walk. Her feet shifted across the floor like she was gliding on ice, and it made it easier for me to flow through the dance.
“You’ve really improved,” Serra praised me with an adoring smile. “I’m impressed.”
“You flatter me,” I said. “I’m still an amateur.”
“You’re a king,” Serra countered. “My king.”
“It’s one of my favorite things to be,” I murmured.
I gazed into her face, and love poured through my veins like all the glasses of wine I’d had. It was hard to imagine how different Serra was now from the person she’d been when I’d first met her.
“What are you thinking?” she asked.
“How much you’ve changed,” I said.
Her smile faltered a little, but her feet didn’t.
“Is that a good thing?” she asked.
“Yes.” I smiled. “You’ve become more yourself. You were so closed off when I first arrived here, but now I see the whole you. You’ve really let your walls down, and I’m so honored that you’ve let me into your heart.”
Serra’s brown eyes shone with sudden tears, and my heart ached for how lonely she must have been in the past.
“It was easy with you,” she whispered. “You are so honest and genuine. You care deeply. You made it safe for me to be… me.”
“I’m so glad,” I said as I pulled her around in the final turn of the dance.
The crowd applauded as the song wrapped up and the band flowed right into the next.
“Oberis was never a safe person to be myself around,” Serra said. “He was unkind at the best of times, but when he’d indulge in alcohol…”
My blood burned with sudden rage at the way that man had treated all the people around him.
“I’m not saying this so you can hate him more,” Serra said in a gentle tone. “I only say it so you can understand how good it is to be loved by a man like you. You’ve taught me how to feel safe and secure.”
“I can see it,” I said. “You’re so much freer now than you were then.”
I reached up and touched the smooth skin of her cheek. Weeks ago, her skin would have felt powdery and dry, but now I could touch the softness of her face without anything between us.
“I used to use my makeup like a shield,” Serra whispered. “It felt like, if I hid behind the proper face, then nothing could reach me enough to hurt me. That was foolish, of course. Too much powder didn’t actually protect me from anything.”
“No,” I agreed. “But I understand what you mean. I’m so glad I could help you find that sense of safety. And I’m honored that you’ve let me love you.”
“I love you, Ken,” Serra said. “It is the honor of my life to be loved by you and to be your queen.”
My chest swelled with more emotion than I knew how to handle. I cleared my throat and pressed a kiss to her lips, and I tried to communicate everything in my heart through that passionate touch.
“I think I need some water,” Serra said with a breathless laugh.
“Good idea,” I chuckled. “I want some of that dessert, too.”
At that moment, Sir Phil brought Tanell back to the table, and Yori wandered back over with another roll in her hands.
“Do you want to get some dessert with us?” I asked my queens.
“Yes,” Yori said. “Definitely.”
“Where’s Carissa?” Serra asked, and she scanned the room. “We should invite her to join us, don’t you think?”
“That’s a great idea,” Tanell said. “I see her. She’s dancing with Zander. I’ll go ask her.”
“Thank you,” I said.
Zander was my Master of Schools, and he was in charge of all the education-related issues of the kingdom.
Nalatria didn’t have a public school system like the United States, but we did have a university and a finishing school that doubled as a boarding school.
He oversaw both of those at the highest levels, and he coordinated the private institutions across the country.
I wasn’t totally sure about all the details, but Tanell and Serra had both sung his praises when I’d asked.
He was a kind, older gentleman in his mid-sixties, and he always seemed to be reading something every time I saw him in the castle, but right then, he was gracefully leading Carissa through a waltz.
Tanell approached the mismatched pair with all the silent authority of a true queen, and Zander immediately folded his hands behind his back when she got to them.
I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but Carissa had a look of relief on her face, and Zander bowed politely to Tanell. My best guess was that the athletic woman was being bored to tears by something my Master of Schools was rambling on about.
Zander was very passionate about his work, and I’d very quickly learned how long he could drone on about a topic.
He offered the women a friendly smile before he wandered off to a table, and I snorted when he pulled a small book from his jacket pocket and began to read.
“Goodness, thank you, Tanell,” Carissa said as they joined us at the desserts. “He was rambling on about the importance of proper grammar. I get it, the correct use of conjunctions in correspondence is very important, but gosh, how boring.”
“That sounds like hell,” Yori said with a completely straight face.
“I’m not so sure,” Serra countered. “He has a point–”
“No, Serra,” Yori interrupted and laughed. “Just no.”
Serra’s eyebrows furrowed together, but then she rolled her eyes and laughed it off.
“I suppose…” she relented with a grin. “It’s not good ballroom conversation.”
“My point exactly,” Carissa laughed. “He certainly is correct, but I’m not one of his students who needs to be convinced of such things!”
“An excellent point,” Serra said.
“I completed finishing school years ago,” Carissa said, and she turned to look at the desserts. “Oh, everything looks so good.”
I had to agree. There was a wide variety of treats to choose from.
There were pieces of chocolate cake with fresh-sliced strawberries on top, rich cheesecake with raspberry drizzle, crème br?lée cups, something that looked like a cheese Danish, and slices of mixed-fruit pies.
There were also four kinds of cookies and two kinds of brownies on display.