"I knew you would secure the title of Hunting Fairy this year!" Mary squealed while lacing up my dress with enough enthusiasm to crack a rib. The grand ball was tonight, and tomorrow, thankfully, this castle full of aristocratic squatters would finally clear out.
"Thank you for believing in me, Mary." She doesn't need to know the quarries weren't given with genuine intent, and I didn't accept them out of appreciation, but rather to mess with Soleil's head. I wanted to make it clear that if she can't choose between the Crown Prince or Elios, she's going to lose one of them. She can't have both, so she has to decide which guy she's willing to give up.
I checked myself in the mirror one last time before we headed out of my room. Some nobles would say hello in the corridor, while others gave me major side-eye.
"I cannot believe she stole her own sister's Title." I overheard one of the women mutter as they walked past me.
Stole? Please. Her secret boyfriend gifted his tigers to me to save his own skin. I was just the convenient dumpster for his trophy haul.
The ballroom tonight was just as grand as on the first day of the events. Everyone was enjoying themselves, dancing, drinking, and chatting. It seemed I had arrived a little late.
My eyes drifted to the thrones. The King and Queen were chatting quietly. I had to admit, the Queen was a stunner. She has a simple brown hair, but striking blue eyes. She looked like the kind of regal that doesn't have to try. The Crown Prince definitely won the genetic lottery, he got his father's coloring but his mother's face card.
Speaking of the devil, my gaze landed on the dance floor. The Crown Prince and Soleil were waltzing. Soleil was in a butter-yellow gown, glowing like a Disney princess. They looked perfect together. Annoyingly perfect. Watching them gave me a stomachache. Maybe these two were meant to end up together in the original story. The author wouldn't have given them so much chemistry, that visible spark on the dance floor, if they weren't the main leads.
Should I just retreat? Should I simply wait for Soleil to choose the Prince instead of continuing to intervene?
But how sure could I ever be that she wouldn't be caught in her betrayal? That the hidden affair with Elios wouldn't somehow explode into a scandal that would take me down along with her? The risk felt too immense to simply leave things to chance.
"You seem to be quite lost in thought, Hunting Fairy."
I nearly jumped out of my skin. Elios was beside me, wearing a smirk that screamed trouble.
"I was simply admiring the celebration," I lied, dropping into a stiff curtsy. "Everything is beautiful, don't you agree?"
"That is correct. And that includes the hunting fairy of this year." The smile on his face looked more like a smirk and full of mischief. I'm starting to get tired of hearing that title. I hadn't even wanted it in the first place!
"I thank you for the compliment, Sir Elios."
I was about to excuse myself but he extended a hand. "May I have the honour of leading the hunting fairy in the next set?"
I wanted to say no, but some of the nearby nobles were looking at us with hopeful, gossipy eyes. The last thing I wanted to do was cause a social incident or offend a noble house by refusing a dance. I took his hand while mentally cursing him.
Another music started playing. It was elegant, flowing waltz. I'm so glad that I had learned the waltz and various other dancing styles when I was still in junior high school, at least my past life had prepared me for this unexpected chore.
Elios led me onto the dance floor. The waltz was simple enough, but he danced with an unnecessary flourish. He spun me too fast, dipped me too low, and clearly enjoyed my struggle to keep my balance.
"Tell me, Hunting Fairy," he whispered, "Did you enjoy my present?"
I gripped his shoulder to stop from myself from falling when he dipped me unexpectedly. "I find your games tiresome, sir."
He just chuckled. Just then, the elegant waltz ended with a final flourish of violins. The tempo instantly changed dramatically, turning into some high-speed country dance that involved a chaotic swapping of partners. It was like a mosh pit with better posture.
"See you around, Hunting Fairy," Elios said with an infuriating wink before dropping my hand and vanishing into the crowd with a countess.
"What the heck is going on?" I was stranded in the middle of the dance floor traffic.
Just as a huge man was about to trample me, a hand shot out and caught my waist. I slowly looked up, and the air almost left my lungs when I found myself inches away from the Crown Prince.
"Careful, Lady Sierra," his voice a low rumble that vibrated through his chest, which I was currently pressed against. "The current is strong tonight."
"Y-Your Highness." Why him? Of all the people in this room, why did I have to end up with my sister's fiancé?
He didn't release me. Instead, he swept me into the dance with an authority that was terrifyingly attractive. Unlike Elios's frantic energy, the Prince was a rock. He moved with precise grace.
"Congratulations on the title," his hand on my waist shifted slightly, his thumb brushing the fabric of my dress. It was a small touch, but it sent a weird jolt of electricity up my spine.
"Thank you," I managed. "I did not expect to win."
"Neither did I," he admitted, his gaze boring into mine. "I was under the impression the Marquess's son had other... priorities."
The dance forced us closer. He leaned in, his lips brushing my ear to be heard over the music. "I wasn't aware you two were so close."
Panic suddenly flared. "We aren't!"
He pulled back to look at me, an eyebrow raised. "No? He gave you three tigers. That is quite a statement."
"It's... complicated," I stammered, my brain short-circuiting under his intense stare. "We... we prefer to keep the nature of our acquaintance private. We do not show it publicly."
STOP TALKING.
I mentally slapped myself. We don't show it publicly? I basically just told the future King that I was having a secret relationship with that guy!
I don't know why but his eyes suddenly darkened and his grip on my waist tightened a little. "I see. You prefer the shadows, then."
"I—no, that's not—"
He spun me, cutting off my explanation. For the rest of the dance, the tension between us was thick enough to chew. He held me just a little too close, his movements sharp, almost possessive, like he was trying to figure out a puzzle he didn't like. When the music stopped, he bowed formally and vanished into the crowd.
What is wrong with him?
Fresh air. I needed fresh air. I slipped away from the main gathering and stepped out onto the wide, stone balcony. I missed the simple luxury of the air conditioning in my small apartment back home. When I leaned against the stone railing, my mind started replaying the awkward conversation with the Prince. I lightly punched my chest where my heart was hammering wildly against my ribs.
Good job, Sierra. You just convinced the Prince you're in a secret relationship with a known playboy.
I looked down into the dark garden below while trying to slow my heart rate. The moonlight illuminated the manicured hedges... and two figures tucked behind a large bush.
It was Soleil and Elios, and they were shamelessly making out! Elios had her pressed against a tree, his hands tangling in her hair, while she gripped his lapels like he was the only thing keeping her upright. It was disgusting.
My stomach droppped. The audacity was off the charts. If anyone else saw this, it was game over. I was debating to take off my shoe and throw it at them when a familiar voice came from directly behind my ear.
"Is that the private behavior you were referring to?"
My soul didn't just leave my body, it packed a bag and moved to another zip code. When I slowly turned around, he wasn't looking at me. His hands were gripping the stone railing so hard his knuckles were white. His eyes were fixed on the garden below, watching his fiancée and her lover with a terrifying stillness.
"I..." My voice died in my throat.
He finally turned to me. His face was devoid of emotion, there was no anger, no tears.
"You told me you do not show your relationship publicly," his blue eyes piercing right through me. "Is this why? Because he is busy with my betrothed?"
He thought I was the other woman? He thought I was watching my 'boyfriend' cheat on me with his fiancée? He thought we were partners in this twisted heartbreak?
"Your Highness, I am not—"
He didn't let me finish. He stepped closer, invading my personal space. The air around him felt heavy and suffocating. I can't help but feel terrified he might snap, might yell, might order us all executed.
Instead, he shrugged off his heavy coat. The scent of cedar and musk enveloped me as he draped the garment over my shaking shoulders. It was heavy, warm, and felt confusingly like protection.
"You're shivering," he observed. He reached out, and his fingers lingered for a second on the collar of the coat near my neck. The touch was gentle but felt incredibly dangerous. "Cover yourself. It's an ugly night to be out in the cold."
Without another glance at me or the traitors below, he turned and walked back into the party. I sank to the cold stone floor, and buried my face in the Prince's warm coat. I was trembling, but not from the cold.
He knew. He saw. We're doomed.