CHAPTER 26 #2
I shot him an annoyed but playful look and shook my head.
After a few moments, the room's chatter rose again, and I could finally look around.
Guests of all shapes and sizes were dressed in their finest, black attire.
The quick glances and sheltered whispers that followed did not escape me, but I decided ignoring them would be best for tonight.
The rest of the manor was announced over the next half hour, except for the royals.
“Where’s Zendryk?” I asked as the guards closed the doors after the last pair was announced.
“Nosey, are we?” There goes my inconspicuous attempt.
“Why can’t you ever just answer the question?” My tone was thick with frustration.
He looked at me with a blank look on his face. “They’ll be here; they are probably arguing.”
Oh. “Do they argue often?”
“All the time.” He called a servant over to fill his cup, and I was glad that it was not a face that I recognized.
Everyone remained seated, and servants busied themselves filling and refilling glasses. Dinner would not be served until the King and Queen arrive.
“Prince Zendryk.” A guard announced over the chatter that had begun, and the room went quiet as he walked in at a quick pace.
Ulric leaned over to me and whispered, “Yeah, they were arguing. He is not happy.”
Looking at him once more, anger was etched into his face as he stormed into the room.
He was dressed similarly to Ulric, except he had the House of Darkness crest embossed on his chest, and the royal symbol of the black crown sewn above it.
He scanned our table, and his eyes met mine.
His jaw released all the tension it had been holding, and his lips parted; and for a moment, we were lost in each other's gaze, until he brought his lips back together.
He made his way to table one and took his seat just as the King and Queen were announced.
The pair of them looked just as upset as Zendryk, and they made their way to their table, not saying a word to each other or to anyone else at the table.
The dinner consisted of eight courses, and I wasn’t sure I could finish them all, but somehow I managed to.
Ulric and I conversed the entire dinner, and he told me all the gossip about the different manors and their occupants.
Of course, we threw jabs at each other throughout the night as well, which helped ease the anxiety of prying eyes.
Although there was one stare I didn’t mind; Zendryk repeatedly glanced at our table throughout dinner, and by the time dessert was served, he was ignoring whatever was happening at his table and was only watching me with the same dark eyes he had that night in the kitchen.
My stomach flipped, but not from my nerves.
As people finished dessert, the string band in the corner of the room commenced playing, and couples from each table slowly made their way to the dance floor, while others gathered to mingle around the room.
I began to fidget as the reality of having to dance tonight hit me, and I was thinking of every possible excuse not to dance tonight, when Ulric stood and reached his hand out to me.
“Shall we dance?” I was thankful he was the first to ask, but I also wanted to stab him with my fork for asking.
I nodded in response, and we made our way to the dancefloor in the center of the room under the glass ceiling.
“Just like we practiced, 1, 2, 3, 4. You can do this.” He whispered into my ear.
He put his arms up, and I matched his stance.
He took the lead, starting to move us slowly in the familiar way he had taught me before breakfast each day.
Beginning to relax, we started into our second song of dancing, ignoring all the eyes that looked my way, and enjoyment slowly crept in.
There was a tap on Ulric’s shoulder, and a gentleman dressed in a shiny black overcoat stood behind him.
“May I cut in?” He asked.
Ulric looked at him and then back to me, “It’s not up to me.” He raised an eyebrow at me,
I hesitated for a moment, but then Ulric winked at me, letting me know it was okay.
“Yes, you may,” I replied to the gentleman.
Ulric and the gentleman switched places, and we began to dance. He was moving a little faster than Ulric, but I managed to keep up. Every time we spun around the room, Zendryk's dark, moody eyes met mine; the storm roaring louder with every turn.
As the evening drew on, I danced with a variety of men from every manor, sometimes more than once.
I was currently in the arms of someone from Manor Graventhal, I think that was the name he said; his grip tightened on me, about to cross the boundary from firm to painful.
We turned, and I glanced at table one; Zendryk was no longer sitting there.
I looked around the room for his disheveled hair, but he was nowhere in sight.
The man turned me again, catching me off guard while looking around, causing me to stumble.
“Don’t you know it’s not kind to make your dance partner fall?” The dark, husky voice sent shivers up and down my spine.
“Sorry, sir.” The man I was dancing with bowed and walked away, leaving Zendryk and me standing there while others danced around us.
Everything around us vanished, and it was just the two of us, standing across from one another. My chest rose and fell with each unsteady breath.
“May I have this dance? After all, you said you would save one for me.” He asked with his hand outstretched towards me.
This was it; I was going to be locked in his embrace.
Words did not belong to me anymore, so I smiled in response and put my hands in his.
They were smooth but calloused; it must have been from all the training he did.
He smiled down at me, and he began to move, slowly, like Ulric had, and I was grateful for it.
My feet ached from being stuck in heels for so long, but this moment right here was worth all the pain.
I was happy to be here, dancing with him.
“So, Ms. Ashwood, how is your first ball going?” He asked, looking down at me as his hair fell forward over his brow.
“I think okay so far, but the royals were late, can you believe that they could be that rude?” I jokingly taunted.
He let out a laugh that brought the room and everyone in it back to life. “That was tremendously rude of them.”
He spun me around and caught me perfectly, not allowing me to stumble or trip.
“Did they have dance lessons at your village?” He asked.
I gave a small shake of my head, “No, I asked Ulric to help me.”
He shot a look to where Ulric stood at the edge of the dancefloor, and in response, Ulric raised his glass to him, lowering his head as if he were saying, ‘You’re welcome’. Cocky asshole.
“Well, I guess I owe him a thank you. I will be sure to give him a day off to chase servant girls around.”
“If I recall, that’s a trait you both share.” I teased.
Concern shadowed his features as he looked down at me, “I thought we talked about that?”
“I’m just fucking with you,” I said, shooting his own words back at him, and relief washed over him.
This man, this man that I was dancing with, had a hold on me, and I could not fight it anymore.
I would not fight it anymore. The song came to an end, and he slowly dipped me back as the last instrument ceased playing.
His face was inches from mine, and the tips of his hair tickled my brow.
Was he … trembling? It was only us, here, in this moment.
He looked down at my lips, then back to my eyes, slowly lowering his head towards mine.
“Ladies and gentlemen!” The King announced over the quiet room.
Zendryk closed his eyes and pulled back, helping me to my feet as he did. “Avyn, there’s something I need to tell you.” His look turned from desire to panic in a matter of seconds.
But the King continued, and he stopped.
“As you know, we have been at odds for hundreds of years with the House of Flame. There have been many battles over the years, but I am pleased to announce that a treaty has been reached.”
Murmurs exploded throughout the room, and Zendryk didn’t look at me; his eyes fell to the ground.
“Quiet!” The King yelled, and the room fell silent again. “We are going to join the two kingdoms with a union of marriage.”
Zendryk's eyes closed, and realization slammed into my chest.
“My son, Prince Zendryk, will marry the king’s daughter, Princess Karethyn, joining the two kingdoms and ending our battles with one another.”
Coldness crept through my body, numbing everything in its path. He looked at me, sorrow, worry, anger, so many emotions were there, but none of them represented the hurt and outrage that was stirring within me.
“Avyn, I …” He tried.
I couldn’t breathe. I had to get out of here. The sudden closeness of everyone around us was overwhelming. My corset was tightening with every breath. I shook my head.
“I need to find Maya.” That was all I could say, and I hurried out of the room. Trying to remember how to breathe.
“Avyn!” Zendryk shouted over the crowd.
I stopped at the door and looked back to see a crowd of people gathered around him, wanting to congratulate him on his upcoming nuptials.
The tears were starting to well up at the bottom of my eyelids, and the room began to close in on me.
I had to escape this, so I ran out of the room, not looking back.