"It seems everyone is too afraid to dance on the same floor as us."
Taegus scanned the room with a light-hearted smile, as if he hadn't just caused the greatest stir of the night.
"You're crazy," Kel hissed. "Just moments ago, the Emperor was talking about killing you--KILLING you."
"Was he?" Taegus gave her a slick smirk. "I can't say I'm surprised by that."
Kel shook her head. Was the golden-eyed boy brave or just stupid? Surely he could read the room enough to know that what he did was completely inappropriate.
"Why did you have to make up that nonsense about 'good faith' between an Emperor and his new subject," Kel sighed. "Was it really just for a single dance?"
"Wrong on both accounts," Taegus replied, spinning her under his arm. "The pri-I mean former prince would have asked you himself, but I volunteered in his place."
"Wait.. why?" Kel tilted her head.
Taegus chuckled.
"I don't know. Shouldn't you know more about politics and customs than I do? Your Highness."
He leaned in closely to whisper the last two words.
Kel winced as his breath brushed past her ear.
"I was always curious about your background," he went on, straightening up again. "But now I understand why His Majesty acted the way he did toward you."
"Ah.. it's a bit complicated," Kel replied. "Things sort of ended up this way."
"From a hostage to an Empress? Oh, and a soldier in between?" Taegus responded bluntly. "You know.. I never thought Princess Adriell would do something like.. well.."
Ah. That's right.
Kel had nearly forgotten about Taegus's crush on Adriell.
"Something like sending me to get kidnapped in her place?" she finished for him. "It wasn't like she chose to. It was just part of my job."
The explanation sounded forced, even to Kel's own ears.
At no time had Adriell and the king's betrayal felt like part of her job.
It felt like she'd been used and thrown away.
But how could she tell that to a boy smitten with Adriell?
A hint of pity crossed Taegus's smile.
"Fahim. He was part of the group that escorted the Princess," the boy changed the subject. "He ended up getting drafted into the Serin military with me as well."
Kel remembered that name.
It was the Pandreian man who had been charged with taking Dash, the king, and Adriel to the port to sneak out of the continent.
"He wrote to me recently, actually," Taegus admitted. "I also wanted to join him in running away from this blasted continent with Adriell."
"You should have," Kel answered blandly.
"Well.." his smile became sad, "I don't think there's room for me there."
He didn't have to give any more details for Kel to understand exactly what he meant.
Fahim must have also been hopelessly in love with Adriell. Taegus was saying that there wasn't room for the both of them to remain by her side.
Kel almost let out a sour laugh, however, when she thought about Dash. Both Pandreians were fooling themselves to think there was a vacant spot next to Adriell in the first place.
She'd given it a lot of thought after Calix's harsh words regarding Dash, and she'd come to a conclusion. No matter what her old friend said about loving her or wanting to be with her, he could never quite let go of the beautiful golden-haired princess that had grown up alongside them.
It was the missing piece that Kel could never quite grasp--the reason Dash did things the way he did.
Even if he convinced himself that he had chosen Kel, he couldn't trick his heart.
Which had never stopped beating for Adriell.
She was certain the two of them would end up happily together, living their own life far beyond the shores of the Serin Empire.
Poor Fahim.
Maybe he could find happiness out there as well someday. And as for Taegus-
"I came back for you," the Pandreian boy whispered as the song began to slow.
"But once again, it seems I am too late."
"Taegus.." Kel trailed off.
Was he trying to confess his feelings just now? After admitting that she was his second choice?
"I wish you happiness, Kel," the boy bowed, kissing Kel's hand as clapping erupted around them.
"You too," Kel responded, though her words were lost in the commotion.
Heartened by Taegus's bold invitation, soon many other dignitaries stepped forward to engage the Empress Consort in dances. Even Calix ended up on the dance floor with a few courageous noblewomen from Mevani and Vitocia.
Kel had a hard time suppressing her giggles as she watched Calix stare exactly over each of his partners' heads, his lips pressed into a straight line.
Is he trying to scare them away on purpose? Kel laughed to herself as she returned the polite smiles of own partners.
Just as Calix had nearly made his way back to Kel in order to snatch her away for the next dance, a mysterious man cut in.
"Excuse me," he extended his hand before she had finished bowing to her previous partner.
"Ah.." Kel paused with her hand above his, waiting for him to introduce himself.
She wondered how she hadn't noticed him until now, seeing as he was dressed entirely in white, with a sort of veil affixed to his head. It was similar to the headdress of the Pandreian prince, but more delicate.
"I hail from the white mountains of Felion," the man offered a lacking greeting, grasping Kel's hand in his.
"F.. Felion?"
Kel forced her mouth closed, which had been gaped in surprise.
She'd heard of Felion of course, as had everyone else in the room, but in more of a mythical sense than actual geography of the continent.
It was a kingdom situated in the mountains above Mevani, just west of the uninhabitable desolate north.
But despite occasional mentions of the kingdom and its mysterious inhabitants throughout the continent's history, nobody had ever visited nor been visited by the Felion people. In fact, most of the citizens in the Empire and three kingdoms had come to believe that Felion was nothing more than an old myth.
Many modern maps had even been altered to include the land of Felion as part of the desolate north rather than a separate territory.
But, to think the strange kingdom really did exist, and a representative had shown up…
It had to be fake. Right?
"We have waited generations for you, Empress Halrad."
