My Princess

Chapter 6

The ball:

Oka sighed as she looked at her reflection in the full length mirror. The royal seamstress Mei Mio was making the final adjustments to her dress before the ball. It had just started, but she wasn't expected to be there from the very start.
"Beautiful as always, your highness." Sakyu said as she entered the room. She knew she had been granted permission to call the princess by her given name, but she only did it when it was just the two of them. It was more comfortable for her and slightly more professional. Oka smiled a little, looking at her reflection.
"Thank you, knight Basu." She said elegantly as Mei finished working on the dress. She really wasn't looking forward to this ball, knowing what was expected of her. Her parents would want her to spend the whole evening establishing a relationship with her betrothed husband prince Shin of Demona. She didn't want to marry him. "Thank you, seamstress Mio." Oka said kindly as she packed away her needles and other things. Oka went over to Sakyu to be escorted to the ballroom.

"Presenting her royal highness, princess Oka of Occultia." She heard her name announced. Just like she had been rehearsed, she began to walk elegantly down the fancy staircase into the main ballroom. The guests turned to look, applauding her. She didn't know why, she hadn't done anything except being born into a royal family. At the bottom of the step was Sakyu and prince Shin. As soon as she reached the bottom of the stairs, he took her hand and lead her on to the dance floor. She didn't want to spend any time in his company, but she knew she didn't have much of a choice. The royal orchestra began to play a slow waltz style music. He lead her in a slow dance as other royal couples joined them on the dance floor. She recognised prince Riku and his wife princess Kokona, she could also see princess Megami and princess Kizana stood together by one of the large windows, but didn't know any of the others in attendance.

Sakyu could see her sister Inkyu in attendance too. She wished she could go and speak to her, but they weren't here to talk. They were here solely to serve their royals. For Inkyu Basu, she was here to serve as Shin's private knight. She also wanted to spend time with her sister. They looked over, seeing other guards around the room. Surely nobody would mind if they spoke to each other for a few minutes.
"How has it been working under prince Shin?" Sakyu spoke first. Inkyu looked up at her, shrugging her shoulders.
"I can't speak bad about the prince." That statement saddened Sakyu slightly. It meant that it wasn't great for her working under the prince of Demona. There were rumours that he could be violent and cruel, now she was starting to believe that they could be true. "Why about you? What's it been like to work for the kingdom of Occultia?" She felt kinda bad for her answer, knowing she only had nice things to say while Inkyu didn't.
"Well, the princess has a heart of gold. It has been pleasant working for her and protecting her." She said, glancing over at her. She knew she wasn't enjoying the time with the prince, she could tell by the look on her face. Part of Sakyu wanted to run over to her and take her away from Shin just so she could be happy. She knew her love for the princess would remain unrequited, as there was no way a princess could ever marry a knight, certainly not a female knight.

Later on in the evening, Oka managed to get some time 'alone' away from the prince of Demona. She was still accompanied by Sakyu, but she didn't mind. She was actually happy to have her company. They were sat out in the private garden together away from the ball, although they could still hear the music from the orchestra.
"Hoe are you enjoying the ball, Oka?" Sakyu asked a little hesitantly, already knowing the answer. She had spent enough time around Oka to grasp how she was feeling even if she wasn't showing any sign of her true emotions.
"It's ok, but Shin is so pretentious and stuck up. He's like the carbon copy of his father." She sighed a little, knowing she would be married off to him. He would probably abuse her and treat her badly, but her parents didn't care. They cared more about their kingdom and their riches than their only child and heir to their throne. Sakyu sighed as she began to worry for her princess. She wouldn't be able to protect her if she was forced to marry prince Shin and move into his kingdom. That scared both of them. She moved closer to Sakyu, making her blush underneath her helmet.
"You know, you don't have to marry him Oka." She said. Oka looked up at her, shocked and intrigued. That was the first time she had heard someone say she didn't have to marry him against her will. She knew her parents thought differently, and wanted to know what Sakyu meant. "We could run away from here together. I'll protect you until you die. You could be happy." She shook her head softly.
"I couldn't do that, knight Basu. My kingdom will fall into ruin, as will the kingdom of Demona. My life isn't mine to live, but to merely be a pawn in a game. It's not the best life, but what choice do I have?" She sighed a little, looking away with a frown. Sure, she would be happier personally leaving the kingdom and running away with Sakyu to avoid the arranged marriage, but she wouldn't be able to forgive herself if her parents kingdom fell into ruin because of her selfish actions.

Budo was on guard duty throughout the night as the head knight to the king and queen. He was patrolling through the kingdom when he heard a rustling coming from the king's study. He burst in, pulling out his sword. In the study was Osoro. She seemed to be searching for something, probably to steal from the royals. She looked up at him, dropping what was in her hand.
"I-its not what it... looks like?" She tried to argue. He sighed, disappointed in her. At least the helmet covered the blush he got when he saw her.
"I'm going to give you one chance to leave and not return to this castle to steal, Osoro." He said, putting away the sword. She nodded her head, thankful and a little surprised to have been able to escape, before jumping out of the window and escaping. He sighed as he looked around the study. He would've arrested her right there and then if she had been anyone else. He didn't know why he felt this way around her. That night, Osoro left with something she didn't know she had, Budo's heart.