"I wonder why her mother would hide her though? Perhaps she is ashamed of something?" The announcer mumbled mostly to himself, but I raised an eyebrow at him.
"What?"
"No-nothing, Your Majesty." He bowed, keeping his head bowed.
I could almost see the line of sweat run down his back and smiled in pity. "Don't worry about it, Marcus. It was a sensible question. Please, don't let me keep you from your duties."
"Thank you, Sir." He hurried away, the long staff he held thumping behind him as he went.
“Olivia, about the ballroom,” I stopped when I heard the sound of footsteps.
"Reece, you have someone who wishes to see you," Cheval announced. Turning to him, I saw the man who strode in behind him as his words registered.
"Griffith! I didn't think you'd actually truly come." A genuine smile lit my face as both Olivia and Cheval bowed out and walked away.
The older man, King of Artha, walked up and gave me a one-armed hug. "Reece. Nothing could keep me away."
I nodded, feeling the pleasure light my face as I looked upon the only other king of the lot of them I didn't think incompetent, a total bore, or an opportunistic boor. "I didn't think you wanted to marry yet after...." I trailed off, remembering the tragedy that had claimed his wife before they could have any children.
Sadness crossed over his face before he shook it off with a laugh and shook his head. "No, that's not the primary reason I came. I just know you hate parties and what could be more amusing for me than to see you outside your comfort zone?"
"Sadist," I declared with a grimace to the sound of his laughter.
"You bet, old friend. You weren't there when it was held in Artha."
"I wasn't, no. Oshal needed me more." And it was true. I would always put my country first, or at least that was the excuse I always had when confronted with something I truly didn’t want to do.
"No escape tonight, I’m afraid. I'll see you at the Opening Ball."
I sighed because he was right. I had no escape.
3
Alina
I fussed with the bodice of the formal gown Mother made me wear. It dipped a little low for my comfort, but was still modest enough for the society we moved in. It would not do for a royal to be too scandalous, after all. "This stupid gown is too cold. I feel like a display."
"Just pull it up." Aric's voice cut through my private musings, and I turned to see him in the doorway of his own room where he'd readied himself for the ball. With his hair perfectly coiffed, and looking stylish in a fitted tux, he smirked as I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Always put together and ready to impress, my brother’s good looks couldn’t escape my notice when I was often forced to hear other girls gossip about him. I huffed out a breath of annoyance that he'd eavesdropped on me once again. He always claimed my talking to myself was the best way for him to know where my head was at and what nagged me. The truth of my emotions rather than when I tried to sugarcoat them for his benefit. "I cannot pull it up. The rest of this gown is plastered to me." I pointed at the tightly corseted torso, and the way the deep emerald green fabric clung to my figure like a second skin.
The only thing I truly liked about it was how the green of it brought out the color of my eyes. Since no one but the staff at our palace had seen me before, I was happy I didn’t look horrible for tonight. The night when the public would finally see my face. The night when other royals would finally judge me.
The face that would bring Kings to their knees. Mother's words echoed in my head, and I hunched my shoulders, turning away from the mirror to face my brother. The look on his face made me hitch a breath. "Aric, don't."
"If I could save you from this horrible fate I would, Alina. I swore I would protect you, but all I've truly done is allow our mother's machinations to unfold just as she wants them to. And now, here we are. You are about to be married off to a man you don’t know, with me helpless to stop it." He rubbed a hand over his face, sighing the sigh of a thousand troubled souls. I walked over and touched a hand to his cheek before allowing him to wrap an arm around me. Resting my face on his shoulder, I sighed as well. All my life, my only steadfast support had been Aric.
And this night marked the beginning of the rest of our lives, apart. "We always knew this was the reason I was born. The reason Mother allowed herself to fall pregnant a second time. Another child meant another opportunity to form an alliance with a more powerful Kingdom, so that Lantis can prosper." I stepped from his embrace, my lips trembling as I tried to smile up at Aric. "And I want only the best for Lantis."
"But not this. Never this. Selling my sister for my kingdom is a rotten choice to make." Aric's right fist bunched, and I squeezed his wrist to calm him down.
"Don't, Aric. We are prisoners of our own destinies. A life of our privilege means we have to make these kinds of sacrifices. Besides, I’ll escape her. That's a positive." I smiled but more for him than for me. I truly had nothing to smile about.
"It is." Aric looked out of the same window I had when we first arrived, before casting his eyes towards the master bath where our mother was getting herself ready. He lowered his voice and leaned towards me conspiratorially. "Can I ship her to wherever you end up so she can't pester me?"
I narrowed my eyes at him before giggling. "Sure. I'll foist her on Corbin and they can be happy together. Then I'll be rid of them both." Our laughter filled the room, immediately silencing when the door to our mother's room swung open.
"Stop laughing. You'll mess up your hair and your face." She rushed over to me and fussed with my hair, patting my cheeks and tugging at my dress. "It is also a few minutes past eight. It is time for you both to go." She rubbed her hands together, a smug smile crossing her features. "I cannot wait for them to see you, Alina. Squash all the rumors that I am hiding a child I am ashamed of." She grabbed me firmly by the chin again. "The married Kings will burn with jealousy the moment they lay eyes on you."
Tension filled the air as my Aric’s anger bubbled beneath the surface. I threaded my arm through his elbow and gave him a soft pat. "Let's just go, Aric." I knew his rage was already so close to exploding, but to hear our mother refer to me like a commodity would push him over that edge. Fortunately, he let me guide him away.
He couldn’t exactly banish our mother from my rooms like he did at home when she became too much. Not here.
"Here we go," I muttered to myself, stepping out the door and into the hallway. The door closed behind us like the final gate closing on everything I knew. Whatever happened this night, I knew nothing would be the same.
I'd thought myself blinded by the beauty of Oshal and the palace when we arrived earlier that day. But all dressed for the party, the marble and the gilt glittered and shone in an eye-stopping, breathtaking beauty that didn't seem possible.
"It’s so beautiful," I said under my breath. The sound of voices oozed through the door. They would silence each time the royal announcer welcomed new people into the party. I wasn't even that near them because Mother had insisted I keep back, hiding behind a tall marble pillar so no one could truly see me.