The Assassin And The King [Completed]

| Chapter Eighteen : The Ball |

My hair was up in a tight ponytail. Bitting my lips, I pull the band out and let the brownish blonde locks tumble down my back in a frazzled mess. Smoothening them with a brush and parting then evenly from the middle, I take one last look at the mirror.

This is bizarre but I like how I look.

And dare I say, I look hot.

Pulling the stilletos on, I glance around my room one last time before walking out of the place and shutting the door behind me.

It feels strange being out here in a dress when all I've worn so far is assasin clothes or my guard uniforms whenever I'm in the castle. But it's a good kind of strange I guess.

The waltz music buzzes from the ground floor as I head down the stairs towards the ballroom. Just as I'm at the bottom of the stairs, I catch sight of Valerian standing at the edge talking to Queen Eleanor.

My eyes lingered on the way the black tuxedo snug to his form accentuating that body of a runway model. He wasn't wearing those old mighty king clothes today, those doublet and all. Even his unruly hair was gelled and combed back neatly but somehow one or two strands still fell over his forehead in a disturbingly attractive way.

He looked. . .amazing.

As if he sensing my presence, Valerian's eyebrows furrow before he stops his conversation with the queen and turns his head to look my way.

I could've sworn that if fishes opening their mouths for food was a comparison match with Valerian's mouth hanging wide, then the king would definitely win the thing.

Valerian opened his mouth as if to say something before shutting them and then opening them again. Scratching the back of his neck seeming almost flustered, he looked away to nowhere in particular making me narrow my eyes in confusion. What's with him? I've never seen him so disoriented.

Queen Eleanor seemed to share my thoughts as she raised a brow at his behaviour and turned to follow his gaze. A lovely smile which turned mischievous graced upon her face as she ignored her step-son and walked towards me.

"My, you look beautiful, Kaitlyn." She smiled up at me sweetly as I descended the last step.

"Thank you. You look lovely yourself." I returned back with a small smile of my own, admiring the beautiful off-white silk off-shoulder ball gown she wore with delicate blue flower patterns drawn on it.

"Why thank you." She grinned before turning to look at Valerian, "What's so interesting about the wall, son? Divert your eyes on the lady."

Valerian seemed off-guard by Eleanor calling out on him as he shifted his attention from the wall and finally glanced my way.

"You look. . ." I felt my breath get caught in my throat as his eyes took a slow deliberate glance of my attire than lingered on my face before he looked away again shielding his darkened eyes from the sight but I saw it, ". . .unlike yourself."

Huh? Unlike myself?

What's that supposed to mean?

"What's that suppose to mean?" Queen Marilla's very familiar lilting voice mirrored my thoughts out loud as she walked through the main entrance of the castle, "Surely I expected more than 'unlike yourself' after borrowing that dress from my mermaids for bestie here," Marilla flashed me a wide grin making me give her a queasy smile back.

Valerian diverted his attention from the wall to the girl only for his eyes to narrow into slits as he took into the teeny veeny similarly of her and my dress. It was just the design though. The colour, the studs and everything else was different. Hers was silk beige with tiny pearls on it while mine was velvet navy blue with tiny diamond studs on it. But we both had the sleevlessness and deep neckline thingy. It was truly like different peices made by the same dressmaker. Which reminds me, her mermaids 'borrowed' the dresses from the same sailor.