302: The Royal Ball

The Royal Ball

As evening descended, fancy carriages began to arrive in front of the royal ballroom. The delegates from the ten kingdoms and the high-ranking members of nobility began to gather within the elegantly adorned grand hall of the Royal Palace of Othinia, the lords and ladies clad in various extravagant attires symbolizing the culture and heritage of their respective kingdoms.1

Laughter and animated conversations filled the air as the guests greeted one another with warm smiles and exchanged pleasantries. The tinkling of glasses and the gentle clinking of silverware resonated from the tables where refreshments were artfully arranged. 

At this point, Arlan and Cian were left on their own after receiving the greetings of some nobleman and his wife. 

"Your brother-in-law is still not here," Arlan commented.

"Single men like us have the freedom to arrive early without being delayed by a lady companion," Cian spoke as he took a glass of wine from a passing servant. 

"In short, you are blaming your sister for my friend's tardiness?" Arlan teased.

"I was looking forward to seeing Prince Arlan be late due to a certain someone, but it seems like he left the person behind."

"Seems like you have not put much effort in bringing your companion as well, Prince Cian."

"It's not the time yet."

"That means you admit."

"Shall I ask you as well if you admit or not?"

" I will spare Prince Cian from trouble."

Soon, the royalty from other kingdoms came to greet the two princes, engaging them in light conversation. A light commotion arose upon the announcement of the herald stationed by the doorway.

Arlan remained unfazed, a glass of wine in hand, unbothered by the crowd's reaction. 

'That Red Dragon always manages to steal the spotlight.'

The King of Megaris drew gazes due to his unique red-eyed appearance, while he was also criticized by a handful for his late arrival. After all, he arrived last, later than the other kings in attendance. 

However, it was the veiled purple-eyed woman he was escorting down the grand staircase who gathered the most attention. 

The infamous cursed princess of Abetha, who was thrown away by her family and married off to the equally infamous Devil of Megaris.

While everyone was busy looking at the Queen of Megaris, the indifferent Crown Prince of Griven suddenly felt all of his nerves come alive. His sense of smell caught a whiff of the most alluring fragrance in existence.

'Honeysuckles.'

His instincts propelled him towards the approaching couple—no, his eyes were not on his friend and his wife but at a certain lady walking behind the veiled queen. 

Unbeknownst to him, his feet made a move and he started walking towards the delegation of Megaris. While a small crowd had gathered to welcome the King and Queen of Megaris, the Crown Prince of Griven stayed at the outer edge of the group, his gaze stuck on the woman behind the queen, not even glancing at the royal couple. 

By the time people dispersed, Arlan stood in front of Drayce and Seren. 

"Are we blocking your view?"

As he said those words, Drayce tried to obstruct his friend's line of sight, finally managing to pull Arlan's gaze away from the woman. 

"Hmm." The prince didn't agree nor deny, merely saying some passing remarks before moving his attention back to the veiled woman accompanying Seren as her lady-in-waiting. Just like Seren, her lady-in-waiting had lower half of her face covered in a veil. 

'Oriana…'

It was a young woman wearing a light blue gown, its symbolic gauzy outer garment with loose sleeves indicating she was a noble lady of Megaris. Its fabric flowed in gentle cascades around her lithe form. The gown's neckline showed off her collarbones, neither too deep nor too high, leaving just enough exposed skin to capture the imagination of the young men fortunate enough to look upon her. At her waist, a slender ribbon of palest silver cinched the fabric, accentuating her graceful figure without constraint.

Her long red blond tresses flowed freely behind her, with the front part of her hair gathered and woven into two tiny braids, fixed at the back of her head using a beautiful hair pin with a matching light blue-colored gem. 

While a few strands of hair were left loose to frame her face, her appearance remained as mysterious as the Queen of Megaris, as the woman wore a veil as well. 

'Her appearance…'

The Queen's lady-in-waiting was no doubt his mate. Her scent was one he could never miss, and he had stared at her face long enough to know from the shape of her eyes to the arch of her brows that they were indeed Oriana's.

His heart skipped a bit at the demure sight of her with her gaze lowered, her long eyelashes fluttering lightly. 

–

The moment the carriage of Megaris arrived in front of the royal ballroom, Oriana's gaze held a blend of anticipation and nervousness. It was her first ballroom experience where she was attending as a guest. 

When the servant announced the arrival of the Ivanovs, the grand doors of the royal ballroom swung open, revealing the awe-inspiring scene beyond. A stretch of polished marble floor, countless crystal chandeliers, the long plush red carpet leading the way, the enchanting melodies from the musicians, the ornamental glass prisms scattering light to create a mystical ambiance upon the hall, men in handsome suits and women in lovely gowns…

It was an absolutely breathtaking sight to take in.

Oriana, who was standing behind Seren, almost missed a step descending the grand staircase upon seeing Arlan in the crowd. It was strange. There were hundreds of people in attendance, yet she could find his figure without even trying.

When she saw him approaching afterwards, her heart nearly leaped out of her throat. 

'He's coming!'

She had expected this kind of encounter, but the moment she saw him walking towards them, the urge to flee overwhelmed her. 

'But if I run…' 

Such an ill-bred action, wouldn't that bring more unwanted attention and suspicion to herself? 

This ball was being attended by the most powerful figures in the continent. Every action of hers would reflect on the kingdom she's representing. What if she implicated Seren?

'Nothing must go wrong.'

Suppressing that urge, Oriana simply averted her gaze toward the marble floor, her fingers grazing the edge of the veil covering the lower half of her face. 

'Did His Highness recognize me? Queen Seren assured me that since no one had seen me in woman's clothes before, covering my face should be enough to hide my identity.'

About an hour ago, the first time she saw the image of the beautiful woman reflected in the mirror, she could not recognize herself either. 

'His Highness only approached to greet his friend. He couldn't possibly recognize me.'

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