Chapter eleven

"Would you do me the honour of this dance?"

Turning around, Empress Cassiopeia expected another suitor of the beautiful Lady Claudette, yet, to her surprise, the guy she was going to marry the next day was on his knees asking for a dance.

She vaguely pointed at herself, not sure if he was asking her. Lord Dorkas nodded, taken aback by her gesture. Don't keep me waiting like this. He mouthed.

She gave him her hand, "I would love to", then she turned to her friends, "excuse me". The ladies nodded understandingly.

He leaned in, whispering in her ears, "please do not step on my shoes."

She chuckled, "I'll do my best".

The dance begun.

"You aren't wearing my ring."

"It didn't fit my attire."

"Does our marriage not fit your attire either?" He retorted, stepping on her foot.

She did not budge. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You have not sent me any letter, you have not called for me, you have not asked about my vows and I have to do rehearsals on my own, since the Princess was busy."

She stepped on his foot, "I was busy."

He spun her around, just enough to make her lose balance. He caught her before she fell. They quickened the peace of the dance.

"I was really busy."

"Yeah, busy cake tasting and garden walking with other men."

"What are you implying?"

He pulled her close, "exactly what I meant", and spun her around again.

"I don't think I understood, my Lord."

"They say you are sleeping with those beasts."

"What?"

"The Darafen. All high society is talking about how you mingle with them. Do you understand how humiliating it is for me to be rejected in place of a barbarian?"

"I am not sleeping with anyone, but you should not address them in such a way." She prayed the man's mind reading was turned off.

"Are you defending them?"

"I'm protecting you from making an enemy out of them."

He made her turn, light lifted her, and turned her again.

"You're protecting me by going garden walking and cake tasting with the refuted son of a duke of that mock Kingdom. Do you have any idea what kind of rumours I had to hear about you? Let alone those about me. Some even say I'm impotent."

She held her chuckle, "I'm sorry to hear about your reproductive disability."

He spun her again, again and again. She felt like she was losing her balance. He grabbed her, let her fall and grabbed her again, just before she hit the marble flooring.

The dance was over. They were both breathing heavily, and for a moment not one of them pulled out. Then, he slowly helped her up, making sure she did not lose her balance.

This time, she caressed his cheek with her lips, feigning a kiss. "After tomorrow, I'll make sure to sing praises of your performance in the bedchamber, don't worry."

"That seems worse."

She chuckled gracefully, pulling away from him, "thank you for the dance."

"Likewise."

They both bowed, and she headed for the sofas.

Sitting down, Lady Verre, Lady Claudette, Lady Coubert, and Lady Leanne came sitting close by.

Lady Maria was chatting with the heir of Count Kellington, Lord Raphael, and Lady Deanna was chatting with the heir of Duke Phanninton, Lord Sandre.

She smiled, knowing her friends would soon be engaged too.

Anyhow, she had little time to spare them any thoughts, because Lady Claudette caught her attention with a screech, "Ahh! You guys looked so good together!"

"I saw that too! And the way you whispered sweet words to eachother, and the way he spun you around!" Lady Leanne hugged Lady Claudette's shoulders, lightly shaking her in excitement.

Was that how their dance looked like?

It was now Lady Coubert's turn to speak, "so, we need the details. Tell us all about how you met, what you like about him, everything. I need to know it all."

"Who would've thought that our sweet princess could end up melting the heart of that icy hermit!" Countess Claudette squeezed Empress Cassiopeia's hands.

Lady Claudette was the oldest one of them all. She was almost thirty, and she was to be married to Count Zephyr*, who happened to be the younger brother of Lord Rabbah, the father of Empress Cassiopeia's second concubinus, Lord Asher.

Their marriage had been postponed due to the war with the Darafen tribe, as he fought on the front.

Empress Cassiopeia could not say that their marriage was contractual, and that she used his mother to kill the former Emperor. "He's good looking and has a silver tongue, so it's only natural that I fell for him", it wasn't entirely a lie, but it was not the truth altogether. She had not fallen for him, instead, she found his rotten personality annoying.

The girls kept chatting, until the grand dinner banquet began. Everyone took their place at the multiple tables that were brought in the dining hall.

Empress Cassiopeia took the word.

"I would like to thank all of you for joining me today to celebrate my ascension to the throne." A round of applause.

"And I would also like to thank the nobles of Saol for placing your trust in me. I vow to bring eternal glory to this Empire, something that can be achieved through the amicable relationships I wish to maintain and strengthen with the kingdoms of the continent, as well as the Hinahan Republic and the Darafen tribe." She smiled, turning to the table of the guests, "and for that, thank you for joining my people in this celebration."

"Lift your glasses and drink to your heart's content!"

She shouted, lifting her glass of water. She had made a point not to drink during the celebrations, were something to happen.

After that, the dinner went by smoothly, filled with idle chatter and good jokes.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly, and Empress Cassiopeia could not believe it.

This happiness, so foreign to her, made her uncomfortable.