Capitolul XXXVI: A King Who Knows What He Wants

Wait, I think there's a problem from several perspectives. The first issue is that I don't know how to dance as well as Gabriel does, and I might end up embarrassing him or, worse, embarrassing myself.

The second problem is that the guests might have noticed my jealousy, which could make me appear strange in their eyes. The third problem is that the king is supposed to dance the final dance of the evening with a lady, a princess, or a young woman from a noble family who will become his queen, not with me, a priest, and his confessor... So, it doesn't make sense for me to become Gabriel's dance partner, does it?

"Antonio, what are you thinking so deeply about?" Gabriel asked me.

"I'm thinking about the fact that I don't have the right to become Your Majesty's dance partner, so..."

"Who said that? Don't forget that you still must fulfill, don't you? I'm a man who knows what he wants from the people around him, so you don't have the right to oppose. Come on!"

I walked behind the king with my head down, feeling extremely ashamed. Deep inside, I felt immense joy for two reasons. First, because I could finally be close to the alpha male of the kingdom, and second, because I could draw him into the alliance... Well done, Antonio!

Another melody began to play in the throne room, accompanied by the sounds of musical instruments. What made me tremble with nerves and embarrassment was the melody, or rather, the dance I had to perform with Gabriel.

The dance is called "bassadanza," and compared to the "balli" dance, which seemed slightly sensual in an erotic way, this dance was more romantic. This dance was specially performed during the celebrations following the weddings of nobles, where the groom and bride showcased their artistic talent through various movements.

As soon as I realized what dance it was, I wanted to leave, but the king held my arm tightly, so I didn't have a way out. Although I can say that I have a godlike physique, the truth is that I'm not as strong as Gabriel or others. Or maybe he uses some kind of spell on me to weaken me?

"Antonio, don't you dare run away, understood?" Gabriel commanded me in an authoritative tone.

"S-Sure, of course not... Anyway, I know that you'll catch me if I dare to do it, right?"

"It seems you know me quite well, don't you?"

I started dancing under the amazed gazes of the guests. I say "amazed" because the majority of the guests were extremely enchanted by Gabriel's noble dance. The smooth turns and sudden glides that almost froze my blood in my veins, along with the simple yet artistic steps of the king, fascinated me. Honestly, I began to enjoy this dance, at some point even looking into Gabriel's eyes instead of looking at the floor or the guests, seeking their help. The dance ended with a final glide, which made me fall into his arms with a pounding heart, although my heart shouldn't be beating because I'm a vampire.

Anyway, in the end, the entire assembly started applauding, and the lovely young ladies began to approach me angrily because I didn't dance with them. Only one lady remained upset and troubled... the Princess of Poland.

"Your Highness, is something wrong?" I approached her to console her.

"Nothing, just that I'm sad because I see that the king-"

"Oh, God... It's not like he has feelings for me or anything. Anyway, he needs to find someone who can produce an heir, right?"

"To be honest, it's not the king I have feelings for, but for you..."

"For me? Be serious, you deserve someone much better than me, and besides, I'm a priest, so we can't be together."

"But-"

"No... I'm sorry... The only way we could maintain a connection is if we remain friends... Good friendships are more valuable than gold, aren't they?"

"You're right, but something has changed in me since we danced tonight, and-"

"To be honest, I'm starting to worry about Your Highness... I have vows to keep, and I can't respond to feelings of love coming from you. However, I would still like to meet the King of Poland, Your Highness's father, someday."

"Sure... You are my guest. Next month, I will turn 23, and I would like to invite you to my birthday party."

"With great pleasure. I will try to find a few days off from my extremely busy schedule at the Vatican and honor your invitation."

"Well then... Maybe if we get to know each other better-"

"No... I'm sorry..."

I'm sorry to reject the Princess of Poland, but I simply can't risk having any offspring carrying my genes in the future. Honestly, with Cesare and the others, I don't have this fear for biological reasons, but with her... Anyway, that doesn't matter anymore. What's important is that there is a possibility to establish the alliance more easily than I hoped for. Anyway, the King of Poland is Catholic, just like the one in Wallachia and the others in Europe. Asia might be more challenging to conquer, but I believe I can achieve that. America and the other continents, still undiscovered or under the dominion of Catholic kings, should not be a problem...

After the ball where almost every young lady danced with King Gabriel, especially after the dance I had with him, we went to eat and drink. Anyway, that's what I expected from the beginning. Just like in the throne room, I sat to the left of the king, followed by various nobles. My amazement was triggered when I saw the true feast worthy of a king before us. Meat from the rarest types of animals brought from outside the kingdom, various exquisite kinds of cheese of the highest quality, fruits brought from the vast territories of our neighbors, and last but not least, the cakes and beverages that were impressive and pleasing to the eye.

After we took our seats at the table, I felt compelled to make a toast for the celebrant.

"Your Majesty, Your Highnesses, esteemed guests, today we are gathered here to celebrate a person. A person of utmost importance to all of us. It is our king, Gabriel, who today turns 24 years old. I like to say, when I speak of our king, that he will be the greatest king in the entire history of Wallachia. Why? Not because we danced together at tonight's ball, but because I feel through my prophetic senses that, with the help of someone, he will make our small and insignificant kingdom as powerful as a bison. That is why I invite the present young ladies to consider the fact that one of them will be that person. May God bless the king!"

The guests repeated the last sentence in unison, and then I clinked a glass of wine with Gabriel. One thing surprised me, though... Gabriel had no intention of having a wife... How embarrassing for Wallachia... Anyway, he needs to have heirs! I can't turn him into a vampire to make him immortal. Not to mention surrogate mothers or other methods that will only be discovered in another five centuries.

During the feast, a theater troupe arrived to perform a play. Well, the play they performed surprised me. It seemed that I was the only one surprised, though...

The play was about the love story between the god Apollo and Hyacinthus, a Spartan prince. In Greek mythology, Hyacinthus was the most beautiful among all men on Earth. That's why the god Zephyrus, the god of the west wind, the god Boreas, the god of the north wind, and a mortal named Thamyris desired him. However, Hyacinthus chose Apollo above all. Apollo fell so deeply in love with him that he would ride alongside him in a chariot drawn by swans, visiting his sanctuaries. It is even said that Apollo left the oracle at Delphi to be with him near the Eurotas River. He taught him to play the lyre, the art of prophecy, and more. One day, while they were competing in discus throwing, Apollo threw the discus high above the clouds, and eager Hyacinthus ran to catch it. But Zephyrus, jealous that Hyacinthus had chosen Apollo, caused the discus to turn and strike him in the head, killing him. Apollo's face turned pale as he held the lifeless body of his beloved in his arms, but no matter how much he tried to bring him back to life, he couldn't. The only thing he could do was make flowers grow from his blood, known as "hyacinth" after his beloved's name.

People started crying and applauding the performance, while I remained pensive... Will I have the fate of Hyacinthus in the end? Anyway, to return to my world, I must disappear from this, so I will have to vanish through death or some other means. I'm curious to see how this whole story will end...

The king stood up from the table, urging everyone to retire to their rooms. However, even though I wanted to leave, the king stopped me.

"Have you forgotten about our bet from yesterday? I don't think you were planning on running away, were you?"

"Um, tomorrow morning I have three court cases, and I need to be well-rested to judge them, don't you think?"

"Really? You can talk to your secretary to cancel your cases for tomorrow. Besides, I did some research, and it seems that's not the case..."

Damn, he caught me. I talked to Marcus yesterday to give me the day off on May 31st because I have a meeting... I didn't expect Gabriel to do research and find out, but it doesn't matter.

In the end, I had to go to the king's bedroom. It was a bedroom twice the size of Cesare's, and of course, with a canopy bed befitting a king. I didn't get a chance to say anything because the king pushed me onto the bed, hitting my back. It didn't seem to bother him much, but anyway, it didn't hurt too much, so...

"Antonio, I think you'd better leave your cassock on you... Do you remember what you said yesterday?"

"Yes... It's a sacred garment, not a dress, as you might think..."

"Even better... That way, I can become more holy myself, don't you think?"

"Do as you please, I don't care..."

Well, I didn't have to tell him twice. Gabriel was already undressed within a few minutes, while I was only in my cassock. I can only say that Gabriel knew what he was doing, much better than Cesare or Marcus. Now I understand why the whole kingdom trembles at the sight of him... I would have never believed that those powerful hands and that godlike body descended from Olympus could bring so much pleasure to my sinful soul and body.

After a few rounds, at the end of which I couldn't feel my body anymore, especially the lower part, Gabriel took me in his arms and kissed me passionately. Our tired bodies were now intertwined in a sacred embrace. With the king's approval, I could take off my cassock to be in the same state as him.

"Antonio, are you sleeping?"

"I can't... And you?"

"You know, everything we just did makes me think of the play from tonight..."

"What about it? Did any actor on stage catch your attention?"

"No... I'm talking about the story they performed... I would be Apollo, and you would be Hyacinthus..."

"Why? Do you want me to be killed by a disc thrown by you?"

"Read between the lines, Antonio... You know, I would be Apollo, and you Hyacinthus, and Zephyrus would be Marcus, don't you think?"

"No... Marcus would never do something like that. Besides, I fear this Apollo who almost killed me tonight more than that Zephyrus whom I could control..."

"Wait, are you saying that-"

"Yes... Marcus never tried to dominate me. I don't know what your relationship was, but-"

"You know what? We'd better go to sleep. Anyway, you have things to do tomorrow, right?"

"I don't have anything to do, but anyway... Goodnight..."

"Are you disappointed?"

"No... The baby king who still needs his mother's regency..."

"What? How dare you repeat the nonsense you said earlier?"

"Calm down and go to sleep... Goodnight!"

"Oh no... I just regained my energy..."

"Gabriel, stop... No, not there... Stop!"