Chapter 8: The Royal Ball

“Try to get to the good side of the king!”

Chief Minister Eliphas shouted at Asteria in front of a big mirror.

               That was the day of the royal ball.

The king organized the gathering with the help of Minister Castemont to welcome him and the returning knights from the expedition.

               Asteria sighed heavily upon hearing the words of her father.

“The king doesn’t love me. What is hard to understand with that?” she asked, wondering if her father even understood the situation.

               “You are the most beautiful woman in Grellis! Anyone could fall in love with you if you wish!” her father growled. His words were heard even outside her chamber.

               “I wish I could take that as a compliment, but you don’t even treat me as a daughter,” Asteria looked at the eye of her father, who was gazing at her through the mirror. He was standing behind her.

               Chief Minister Eliphas glared at her. “Do everything you can! The king would undoubtedly move to dethrone you! Now that the daughter of the sly minister is a royal concubine, they are eyeing our positions—the seat of the queen and the chief minister.” 

               “Do you even realize that you are the sly one here?” Asteria asked him, genuinely wondering.

Her father didn’t answer the last statement. Instead, he left away. 

               After the old chief minister disappeared, Leilana went inside and immediately approached her. “Are you okay, Your Majesty?”

               Asteria blinked her eyes repeatedly, trying to resist crying.

“I am alright, Leilana,” she said, but sadness was noticeable.

               The servant sighed. It was like she already knew that the chief minister bothered the queen again. She tried to change the atmosphere by shifting the topic. “A designer from the commoner’s area sent a gown for you to wear tonight at the royal ball.”

               The aura on Asteria’s face changed. “Really? May I see it?” she said, smiling. 

               Leilana brought out a large box. Inside of it was a very striking silver gown.

“It will suit your appearance well, your majesty,” Leilana said, full of excitement.

               “You think so?” she responded.

               “Yes! It is fit for a lovely queen like you.” 

               Asteria laughed at her servant’s words.

 ****

The night of the royal ball had come. 

               Asteria gazed at herself in the mirror in front of her.

The silver gown fitted her perfectly. 

               “You looked beautiful, my lady!” Leilana said, admiring her.

               She smiled.

               Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.

               “Enter,” Leilana shouted.

               A knight went inside. “Greetings, your majesty! The king is already waiting for you in the hall.”

               “Alright,” Asteria replied.

She stood up and gestured to Leilana that it was time for them to go. 

*****

Asteria saw the king near the grand stairs.

He was wearing a white suit.

She stared at him while walking in his direction when suddenly the king looked back at her.

Her heart pumped different emotions, and they all met in her brain — there was an embarrassment, admiration, and surprise.

The king was breathtaking.

“I could literally stand here and gazed at him forever,” she thought.

               “You looked stunning,” the king suddenly whispered.

She looked at him, surprised by his words.

But he turned his sight in the other direction.

               Asteria’s cheeks became hot. She wasn’t sure if the king said she was stunning or if she just suffered from auditory hallucination.

               The king extended his hand to her.

She then reached for him.

Asteria didn’t know why, but she felt that there was static the moment their skins collided.

               “There’s no stopping now. Our sanity was both trapped in this system.”

Asteria suddenly recalled the King’s words on their first night together.

“Why am I reminiscing about those words at this time?” she asked herself, much to her annoyance.

               They walked together toward the edge of the staircase, holding each other’s hands.

The king’s hand felt soft.

He was gripping her hand.

               The images of him on their first night flashed across her mind. She shook her head slightly to sway out the memories. She couldn’t believe that even after two years, she still remembered how he looked that night.

               Suddenly, they reached the platform above the majestic staircase.

The people clapped when they saw them.

“They are all from the nobility. Surely, they are not cheering for me,” Asteria thought. Then she felt the king let go of her hand.

He let go of her, and when she looked at him, she saw him running towards Jestina, standing at the foot of the stairs.

Her countenance was filled with sadness.

               And then she felt hurt upon seeing the two of them reaching into each other’s arms. The pain inside intensified when the people cheered for their public reunion.

               The people mumbled different reactions.

“Of course, they are talking about how am I not supposed to be the Queen,” she speculated.  

               She walked downstairs alone, trying to conceal any emotions on her face.

She stood to the side and watched the people teasing the childhood lovebirds.

               Suddenly, the king broke down the mumbling people.

“I have a special announcement to make tonight. I officially declare Jestina Castemont as my concubine. I hope that Jestina’s addition to the royal family would boost the morale of the nobility,” he said, smiling from ear to ear.

The people cheered more for them. They were like watching a royal wedding.

               The chief minister didn’t attend the royal ball intentionally.

They knew it would happen — Alaric announcing his relationship with Jestina publicly.

Asteria prepared herself for this moment, but there was still pain inside of her for some reason.

               The slow music played.

Asteria watched as the king took Jestina into his arms.

They moved in synchronized, gracefully.

The people inside the hall couldn’t take their eyes off the dancing pair at the center.

They were moving like they had danced to that music all their lives. 

               In that instance, she realized she was an outsider.

               “Can I take you to dance, my queen?” 

Asteria returned to reality when he heard a familiar man’s voice. 

               “D-Dragon?” she muttered while staring at the man kneeling in front of her.

The man really lived up to his reputation — he was strikingly handsome that night.

               Keane was extending his hand to her. He was smiling stunningly, attracting the attention of the surrounding people.

               She knew it might brew a controversy, but at that moment, she felt like she didn’t want to give any attention to that.

               Asteria couldn’t resist smiling. “Please, I will follow your lead.”

And then she reached for his hand.

               Keane took her to the dance area. 

“I don’t know how to dance, Dragon, No… I mean Keane Clementine,” she said to the man holding her, informing him she couldn’t dance to save her life.

               Keane laughed. “Do not worry. You are with the best dancer in the noble’s district, Phoenix. No… I mean Queen Asteria Eliphas,” he said, teasing her.

               They laughed together upon hearing each other say their real names. 

               They were so close to each other but still comfortable.

Keane held her waist and pulled her closer, swaying her slowly to the tune of the music. 

               The people couldn’t help but notice them — thinking the two were a good match.

               “You didn’t tell me you are the infamous wicked daughter of the chief minister,” Keane whispered into her ear while chuckling softly.

               Asteria smiled. “Yes, I should’ve known that you called yourself Dragon because you have the royal blood.” 

               The man laughed at her statement. The dragon was indeed the symbol of the Royal Family.

               “And you called yourself Phoenix because…?” Keane asked her in a teasing voice. He was still smiling gorgeously. 

               “Because I met someone who called himself Dragon,” she said while frowning her brows. 

               Keane laughed again, uncontrollably.

Seeing him laugh like that, she also let out one.

They were laughing together as if there were no people around them at that moment. 

               The music then began to have a faster tempo.

Asteria could no longer follow Keane’s lead, so she accidentally stepped on his foot.

               “Apologies. I didn’t know how to dance,” Asteria said with embarrassment in her voice.

               Keane smiled — that stunning smile of him and answered, “It’s alright. I guess we are more compatible with fighting together than dancing in front of these annoying people.” Then he winked at her.

               Asteria chuckled upon hearing his words.

The people there were indeed annoying.

She was glad that Keane was there to keep her company.

               “I always thought that you are an ideal queen for Grellis,” Keane suddenly told her, not blinking his eyes.

               She smirked. “Really? Then why didn’t you tell me that before when we were drinking together at the pub?” she asked him jokingly.

               Keane moved his face closer to her ears and whispered, “Because I am not the King.” His voice was filled with sincerity.

               Asteria looked him straight in the eye.

“Huh?” she muttered. She couldn’t understand what Keane meant.

               But the man just laughed.

“We have many stories to tell one another. And Wolf, I mean Darrius, is dying to meet you again,” he told her.

               “Wolf? So he’s also a Knight? Is he also from a royal bloodline?” she asked him, wondering. Asteria remembered Keane was always with his friend, whom he called “Wolf.” 

               “He’s the son of the longest-serving man on my estate. I appealed to make him a knight and entered the group simultaneously as me,” Keane replied to her curiosity.

               “I see. I would love to meet you again together,” Asteria smiled.

Their conversation continued while holding each other and dancing.

******

               Alaric sat on a chair in one of the hall corners, fiercely watching the pair talking happily.

It was like watching a reunion of two lovers who had parted for a very long time.

He clenched his fist tightly, looking like he was not pleased with what he saw.