The Silver Throne

Chapter 27

[ edited on April 10, 2020 ]

The first thing she noticed about him was his eyes; eyes a shade of gold, reminding her of the most beautiful sunrise. He wasn't smiling. His lips were parted slightly, as if he couldn't believe that she was right there in front of him. He was still holding her hand, frozen in place as much as she was.

Then, something crossed her mind, breaking the spell. She recognized him, even with the black mask. Alexandra's heart stopped when she did. The prince, the son of the man she was supposed to replace, was her mate.

This was not how she pictured this moment with her mate at all.

Their momentary pause became an unwanted magnet for attention. The crowd began to murmur, the musicians stopped playing, and the pairs around them went still. Alexandra knew all eyes were on them. He, too, seemed to have realized that because he took a deep breath and looked around them. In that pause, her eyes searched the crowd for someone familiar — anyone would do. She saw Xavier, who was wearing a stolen uniform and holding up a circular tray of wine glasses. His eyes were wide, and she was certain that he knew what was going on.

"Why did you all stop?" asked Prince Nicholas with a joking smile. "Maestro, if you would please," he looked at the conductor and nodded once. The music resumed, and the pairs danced again, this time casting curious glances at Alexandra and him every now and then. Finally, the prince turned his attention to her. "Do you still want to dance, or do you want to ditch?"

She raised her eyebrows at him although she knew he couldn't see that. "Are we even allowed to? But we're in the middle of something," she said, "your highness,"

"Call me Nicholas." He pulled her close, "and I couldn't be sure. What if you hated dancing?" he said with a smile. He placed his other hand at the small of her back.

"Then I wouldn't be here," Alexandra said.

He spun her around as the pairs around them switched partners. Alexandra's dress flared around her as she did. Nicholas had no intention of letting her go and she had no problem with that.

"A minute ago, you were about to leave," he said. Alexandra only grimaced because he was right, but it wasn't because she hated dancing. "One of the girls I danced with tonight didn't want to dance at all. She wanted to take a walk in the garden with me," he said, rolling his eyes. "As much as I wanted to ease her discomfort, I couldn't just leave in the middle of a dance. Something like that would set my father off."

Alexandra didn't bother to hide her smile. She never thought he bothered about others. "Are you always this concerned about other people?" she said. "I mean, you're the prince. You could literally make everyone do things, even if it's against their will."

He shook his head as he let out a chuckle, as if he found her assumption amusing. "That's not how it works," he said. "Respect goes both ways. You have to respect others for them to respect you. Often, respect comes with trust."

He dipped her then, and their noses touched as soon as he pulled her back up. Alexandra closed her eyes. "And among the people in this room, yours is what I want the most," he whispered softly.

Alexandra opened her eyes and met his gaze. Somehow, she forgot about how others were looking at her. She somehow felt safe in his arms, even if they were at the center of the room, literally, and of everyone's attention. The only gaze that mattered at that moment was his.

"Can I ask you something?" he said. "Where did you go, when you disappeared?" Alexandra's hold on his hand loosened. He tightened his grip slightly so her hand wouldn't drop. "I know we barely know each other, but I'm asking you to trust me. I spent the last few months without any hope of meeting you. I thought you were dead." He averted his gaze for a moment. "I had no idea what to feel in those months. I wasn't going insane, but I wasn't fine either."