Aed Ruad studied her body before settling on her face, which was concealed behind her veil.
Still, he couldn't miss her fear-filled blue eyes. Out of courtesy, she pulled her hand from her gown and extended it towards him. He took it and bowed slightly to press a cold kiss on the back of her hand.
"My princess," he murmured as he pulled her to the center of the hall. The guests bowed one by one as they passed.
Nyles remained near the door with eyes shining for her mistress until the door closed, while Kaizan made his way to the wine counters, his eyes trained on the girl as if studying her.
Aed Ruad stopped at the center of the hall. He bowed and the musicians in the upper balcony of the hall started playing soft music that wafted through the room. He ran his fingers down her spine and placed his hand on the small of her back, and pulled her closer to him. She shuddered at the touch; the feeling was akin to a spider crawling down her skin.
It was a ball to celebrate her doom and his rise to the throne. Only marrying her would secure the throne. Those were the rules of the land.
He turned her with grace. After they had taken a full round of the dance floor, the guests joined in. He spun her around and dipped her down, his face hovering over hers for a few seconds.
As he watched her face, he said in a hoarse voice, "I can't wait to get married to you." The malice in gray eyes was apparent.
Her hatred for him peaked and transformed into shame and insecurity. And she knew she had to escape.
As she danced, her eyes scanned the room and settled on Kaizan. The guard watched her from over the rim of the glass and nodded through his black mask.
She couldn't wait. The need to run out of here simmered inside her with each growing minute.
He danced for an hour with her until her heels ached, until her back pained. She stifled a pained groan, now wanting to show her vulnerability to him. With a cold grin, he ended the dance. She staggered a little and he led her to his guests.
Among the guests eager to meet her were ministers, kings, and queens from other kingdoms.
She flinched at the sight of Kar'den, the king of Zor'gan, who stood with his wife, Og'drath. Their gray, dull skins and yellow irises made her recoil on the inside. Next to them was the queen of Ixoviya, Sedora. The woman was an ethereal creature stepped out from every man's fantasy. Her fiancé only stopped by for introductions before guiding her further into the crowd.
As if on an automatic mode, she stiffly nodded at all of them and answered any questions in a clipped tone. When Aed Ruad reached his twin sister, Maple, he raised his glass to her and gave her a heart warming hug. "To us!"
With hair as dark as her brother's, Maple looked eerily like her brother. She shared so many of his features that if she cropped her black hair, they could have been mistaken for one another. Towering over five and a half feet tall Anastasia, Maple was only an inch shorter than her brother. She was thin and had a pale skin. And her choice of clothes—always black. Even at this celebratory ball, Maple had worn a fitted, black silk gown with a matching mask.
Maple chuckled when she looked at Anastasia. "To us, brother!"
Anastasia held back a wince. The lashes from the caning rubbed painfully against the fabric of her gown. With every step she took, she felt blinding pain.
"I would like to leave," said Anastasia, turning towards her cousin brother.
His mouth twisted into an angry line. "Not until the last of the guests are gone," he hissed. He loved making her miserable, he loved paining her, and anything she wanted, he loved snatching from her.
Anastasia didn't say a word. She knew that if she spoke, Aed Ruad would humiliate her in front of all the guests. That would be unbearable. She was hardly allowed to attend such large gatherings and when she did come out, she had to stay quiet.
"You are right," said Aed Ruad. He looked at his fiancé and waved her off. "You may leave."
Anastasia didn't give him a chance to change his mind; she turned to leave and immediately other nobility surrounded the siblings. She rushed towards the door through the throng of crowds. However, before she reached the door, her elbow was caught from behind. Her head whipped to her left.
"This way, princess," Kaizan whispered and led to a different door knowing what she wanted. Goosebumps lined her skin. It was happening. He was helping her. Sweat lined her brow at the anticipation.
The path he led her down looked normal, except that it was dark. She could feel the heat radiating off his body.
She didn't struggle or ask questions, showing complete confidence when he led her through the corridors towards the south wing of the palace. Her heavy gown rustled as she tried to keep pace with him.
"You need to get rid of that!" he grunted.
They went up a flight of stairs and entered a small dingy room—perhaps a changing room. Kaizan picked up a servant's dress from a shelf and threw it at her. "Wear it!" The way he directed her, it was as if he had pictured this in his mind at least a hundred times before execution.
He helped her unzip her dress from the back and turned his back.
"Go out!" she hissed.
"Not a chance," he said in a cold calculating voice. "You have to work according to me." He peeked outside the creak of the door. "And you have precisely two minutes."