ROYAL DUTY

23.The fire in the smoke

That day had been Princess Madelina's turn to be the empress of the day. And despite the stress-inducing day that Natalia had had, she had to admit that the girl sucked at running a court. The day had been lazy and uneventful.

It should have been a blessing to have the opportunity of a free schedule to work on her own plans for her day. But since the talk with Curran, she became incapable of doing anything except reconsidering Tyren's integrity.

Thanks to Madeline, who seemed to have no sense of imagination, she was now stuck in a ball. At a typical Athanasian ball, where everyone enters, and doesn't eat or dance until the Imperial family arrives. Natalia wasn't sure if Madeline was simply that uncreative or just scared of doing anything of her own. Because so far she had changed nothing about anything.

At that moment, all contestants were standing in a queue to let Tyren pick the most beautiful among them and commence the dancing. Again, a typical night at an Athanasian ball. Natalia resisted the urge to roll her eyes, again.

It was as she was standing in line with the other nine ladies—all trying to appear their best to win Tyren's attention—that an idea sprouted into her mind.

A plan.

Tyren had told her (repeatedly) that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Didn't that obviously mean she was his first choice for every dance?

If he was as honest, fair, and just as he claimed to be, and as she believed him to be. Then, he would pick her for his first dance.

She was standing 8th in the queue of contestants. Slowing her racing heart, she resisted the urge to move closer to him. She didn't want to look desperate. If Tyren wasn't lying and she was that special to him, he would follow her all the way to the 8th place and pick her. Without her having to make a complete fool of herself as the other girls were doing, angling their cleavages at his face, biting their lips seductively, and so on.

So she stood there. Poised and confident, waiting for him to come and choose her. She scolded her mind for worrying that he wouldn't. Curran and Marilia were lying. She knew that. Tyren was going to prove them wrong and reaffirm her trust by choosing her. Shoving her stupid doubts away, she stood straighter, waiting for him.

Only for him to shock her, resurrect her doubts, prove everyone else right, and choose Marilia for his first dance. It felt like a loud slap to her face.

Has he been lying all along?

She watched his hand settle on Marilia's as they walked to the dance floor. The way that his hand expertly moved from her hand to her waist while the other went onto her shoulder, carried a level of intimacy everyone watching could see.

When they started dancing, she noted (painfully) that it all seemed automatic and familiar. Like they were used to being in each other's arms. She wasn't sure how she had never noticed it before, but with their arms around each other. They looked perfect together.

Marilia was a bit of an overdresser, preferring statement-making attires and hairstyles, while Tyren preferred midnight black clothes. But when she looked at them and considered it, they instantly made perfect sense. It was like power met power and made an explosion. And if they had really dated before, then she couldn't find it in her to say it was a political move.

The heart wants what it wants.

"Princess Natalia, a dance?" A deep, flirtatious, unfamiliar voice interrupted her train of thought.

She looked up to see the third prince, Prince Hayes, extending his hand to her. She had heard about this prince; he was the womanizer. He slept with anyone and everyone, regardless of station or marital status. Being the bonus prince, his actions didn't matter much. It surprised her, though, why he was asking her for a dance. Still, she curtsied and extended her hand to him.