Chapter 196

After learning the dark secret of the royal family, we changed our topic to a different, more light-hearted one. We were engrossed with our talk until the music started, indicating that the dance floor was open.

"Urgh!" I grunted disgusted at the thought of dancing.

Graciella looked at me in a funny way.

"What?" I asked her sarcastically. " I don't like dancing."

"We are not adults yet, so dancing is not required." She winked.

A girl becomes officially an adult when she reaches the age of fifteen while it's eighteen for boys. Though there are special cases that boys becomes an adult, like becoming a general or heading a family. For these cases, a boy can be an official adult at age fifteen.

I'm still ten, so there's still five more years before I become an official adult.

"But there are still annoying flies who just don't care about that." I told her, nodding towards a few boys who are older than us walking towards us.

Graciella glanced at them before turning back at me with an amused look.

"Well, aren't you popular?" She joked which made me scoff.

I was already thinking of all the reasons I could get to decline dancing with anyone when I saw the king stand from his throne. He did not even take one glance at his queen before walking down sluggishly towards our mother. His eyes were fixed on her as if she was his prey.

Disgusting.

"He wouldn't dare, right?" Graciella whispered as she looked at the king.

The other nobles also noticed but did not say anything and just watched on. They were either looking forward to a scandal or a fight between the royal family and us, the Castellans.

I sighed.

"Lust can never be stopped." I said looking at the king who stopped in front of my mother.

"My lady, will you honor me this dance?" The king said while offering his hand to mother.

Mother looked at him then at the queen who was sitting on her throne.

"The king have not even danced with the queen yet, how could I?" Mother answered with a smile.

The king looked at the queen with a scowl.

"The queen is not feeling well." He answered dismissively.

Mother's brow twitched at his obvious lie yet she did not say anything.

"Does the lady wish for my hand to ache?" The king asked looking at the hand he offered.

"This Archduchess has not danced with her HUSBAND yet." Mother reploed smoothly. "It is not proper to dance with anyone first."

"I am not anyone though?" The king said getting annoyed. " I am the king."

Mother continued to smile.

"Anyone that is not my husband is just anyone else. No matter their status." Mother replied.

This time, the king's face distorted in anger.

"I am the king! Your king!" He shouted and pointed a finger at mother. "I order you to dance with me!"

Just as the king was about to grab mother's arm, father slapped his hand away and pulled mother close to him.

"Is the king seriously forcing himself on a married woman?" Father asked, making everyone present look at the king.

"Forcing myself on any woman is their luck." The king said proudly. "Which woman, married or not does not wish to sleep with me?"

Saying this, the king looked around at every woman.

"It is their honor to serve me in any way, even in bed." He added which made other women gasped in horror.

"Does he think that highly of himself?" Someone asked in the crowd. "Besides the crown on his head, what else looks good on him? His bulging belly? His oily and ugly face that even the dogs won't eat?"

The king looked around angrily.

"Who said that? Come show yourself!" He screamed.

The crowd on one side parted and looked behind them. There, Athy stood proudly and prettily like a porcelain doll.

"I did." She spoke clearly, looking all innocent with her big doe-like, purple eyes. "I'm not wrong too."

Everyone stared at Athy like she had two heads.

"What?" She asked looking around. "Is there anyone here who disagrees with me? He is ugly and fat."

The people looked every where except her, they were trying not to make eye contact with either her or the king.

Me on the other hand, let out a laugh that I was holding back. Who would have thought that Athy would use her innocent looks to disagree with the king and even drag everyone present?

My laughter was resonated by a soft chuckle from the queen herself which caught everyone by surprise. When she noticed that we were looking at her, she let out a soft cough and went back to looking nonchalant.

We were still recovering from the queen's laughter when we heard Athy spoke again.

"See? Even your wife agrees!"