As Sweet As You Are

Chapter 8

Louis ends up going to the ball. The Duke refused Lottie but the Queen didn't sulk about it, reminded of a special necklace she hid away for a rainy day. Several tailors barged into Louis' room under the Queen's demand, giving Liam a small ten second gap to sneak out before the Queen strutted in, head held high with confidence.

She presented a normal looking necklace, only to crush the pendant to free a rare herb Louis' never heard of, one that would completely mask his scent. After making it into a paste, she had Louis lather some on under his clothes, hence why he finds himself going to the ball.

Louis' nervousness is eating him up from the inside. He is where he least wants to be right now, surrounded by people he merely knows and hasn't seen in his entire life.

The main hall of the castle is purposely decorated for the ball, tables filled with all sorts of food anybody could dream of. He feels nauseated and he wants to get out of there as soon as possible, but he knows he cannot while being under his parents' severe vigilance.

While everybody seems happy and people are celebrating, Louis' life is being ruined by the second. He wants to kick and scream bloody murder and banish everyone; or at least he wants to go in his room and cry his eyes out for his miserable life, alone and away from everyone.

He has on a fake smile that does not reach his eyes, greeting courtly everyone who has the permission to come and talk to him. He has a deep desire to get out of these heavy clothes he has on which are suffocating him and not letting him breathe properly, but he has to contain himself.

It is not very likeable for a prince to act that way, most importantly for one who is being paraded as a rag doll so he can satisfy his father's ego. Even with all the cheering and laughter that surrounds him, he feels numb. Louis is sure that if anyone pinched him with a needle or even stabbed him with a knife, not a single drop of blood would come out of his body. The blue eyed omega is empty inside from any happy sensation and is filled with anger, rage and hurt.

He has a crystal glass in his hand, filled with non-alcoholic punch, serving as a symbol that he is fine and is not celebrating for his death sentence that is called punishment. Louis is being punished for daring, for wanting more in his life than just an old mate; for daring to hope for an adventure that was short lived. He hates the role of a trophy wife, despises it and has never wished to associate himself with that name.

How can all these people be happy, when someone's life is in danger just under them. Someone that broke the boundaries and slept with the Prince. Louis has never hated his title in his life more than now.

How can his father play the role of a happy, tolerable and humble man when just a few hours ago he imprisoned and humiliated Harry in front of all the living members of the castle.

Louis' stomach hurts and his heart aches, yet he continues smiling, covering all the fire burning inside him.

He just waits to draw attention from him for a minute, then he can sneak out and see how Harry is doing. Maybe he can sneak him a bit of food too, anything that can help Louis tame a bit of the guilty feeling that's been scraping him nonstop.
He watches as his mother speaks to the Duchess, and his father stands a few feet away seeming to be having a conversation with one of the members of his council. His siblings are dispersed throughout the hall too, Ernest and Doris eating, and Felicité is with the twins laughing about something Louis does not have the will to care about. He cannot find where Lottie is. He realises she's maybe in her room crying her eyes out.

The guilt weighs in on Louis even more. He did not only get himself and Harry in trouble, but he had forced his parents to present Lottie to the old man. Lottie is even younger than him, and she had been in the position where she thought she had to be condemned to a mate - someone who she is probably afraid of - that's so much older than her.