Page 39 of Coral Prince Conundrum
I nod slowly, trying not to appear nervous. I’m glad that Seero’s family, especially his brother, have accepted me immediately. But that doesn’t make me feel less like I’m being interrogated by a woman who could have me locked up at any time.
“I need to take this, my queen,” King Ero mumbles, before dashing off. He puts his phone to his ear and disappears into the shadows of the box seating. Now the queen and I truly are alone.
Seero’s mom calmly studies me, and I smile. “Are you enjoying your time in the Coral Kingdom?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I mean, Mother.” I wipe my palms on my green waistcloth.
She eyes me for a moment more, then sits back. Her dark purple gown has intricate patterning; all the garments in this country appear to be constructed from some elaborate underwater hemp fabric. “You know, Seero’s father was about your age when he met and decided to court me.”
I grin. “How did you meet, if I might ask?”
She nods. “At a party. My father was a sponsor of the Corali Court. Royalty and other wealthy figures are required to attend many galas for charity. I was invited often, and, at my father’s request, I went to one. Reluctantly.” She pushes hair from her face and looks up, grinning fondly at the memory. “The party was on the surface, and I wanted to spend my time underwater, like most Corali.”
The idea of a young king and queen at a royal ball warms my heart. She gazes at the crowd and continues, “At the gala, Seero’sfather claims he saw me from across the floor, and he just knew. Before officially meeting me, he came to the conclusion that I was the one he wanted. He walked right up to me. He introduced himself, even though I knew who he was; everyone did. And he immediately asked if we could dance and then have dinner the following night.”
“And what did you say?”
“I said no to both.” We both let out a hearty laugh. “I didn’t know him! The Coral Prince is a celebrity. I held a superficial level of understanding about this young man who could ask for anything he wanted and get it. I did not want to be another one of his trophies.”
I calm down. “And what changed?”
She shrugs. “He sent me a traditional starfish-and-jellyfish bouquet. It was very flattering. Then my father asked me to at least talk to him. And so I promised my father one single evening with the Coral Prince.” She looks up, recalling the memory. “That night, he was so…wise. He was nothing like I thought he would be. He was charming and had me laughing so much. Our rapport was instantly so strong, so fun, like we had been friends for years. A week later, he claimed I was his predestined other half. His soulmate.”
Wow. Her story hits way too close to home. She levels her gaze at me. “And nothing is more important to the royal family than finding a soulmate.”
“I heard,” I reply. The queen studies me again, and I’m so afraid she can tell my relationship is a farce.
“You know, I thought my son was lying about your connection. But I can see it when he looks at you. And the way you look at him. He has never made all of this effort for a person, not for the many young ladies, and later, young men, that we tried to set him up with.”
Butterflies spin around my stomach.He treats me extra special? I thought this was all for show. Speaking of shows…
I clear my throat and look out at the crowd. “He’s going to miss the performance.”
She snickers. “No, he won’t. My husband, the king, however…” She glances behind us, and King Ero is still talking on the phone. When Queen Marites looks back at me, she continues, “You know, to make sure you were the right person for my son, I did the funniest thing. I went to a seer.”
My eyebrows rise—psychics are real? “Oh?”
“Yes. Someone with a crystal ball and everything.” She laughs, but I freeze up. “I gave her photos of the two of you. She confirmed that you are indeed soulmates.”
My heart is jolted by that simple statement. “Really?” I ask, my voice nearly a whisper.
“Yes. But she said something like…you will only find your forever happiness after a short but harrowing period apart. And that you, Daryl, specifically, should stay away from whirlpools.” My throat goes dry, but she simply chuckles. “But seers are only correct half the time. That last part is probably wrong. As if my son would ever let that happen to you. All three of my children are adept at bending water; they’ll protect you.”
I nod, trying to interpret this puzzling information. Are clairvoyants real? I’m destined to be with Seero, but I might get sucked into a whirlpool?
Before I can ask for more, the lights go dark. The crowd roars, I scoot forward, and the king returns to sit next to us. We three watch as spotlights shine on the small pools in the center.
A moment later, several performers in tight, green clothing rise from the depths of the darkness. They each stand on giant clamshells, and geysers of water pressure push them into the air. I gasp, and everyone claps. An announcer says several words in Corali, and the crowd goes wild.
What follows is thirty minutes of acrobatics in the air coupled with percussion-heavy music. Instead of a tightrope, the dancers use geysers to fly forward, each time landing on a floating clamshell. They move their arms as if to summon midair streams of water, and I’m sure other water mystics behind the scenes are around to support them. With the multicolored lights illuminating the vertical streams of water, it’s truly a spectacle. There’s nothing back home like this dazzling display of a rainbow of water and humans backflipping around the geysers.
When the water goes down, the announcer appears again. “We have a very special guest tonight,” he says in English with his thick Corali accent. “Please welcome, His Majesty, Searoyal, the Coral Prince!”
The crowd roars, and my friend walks up the stairs into view. I sit up straighter, and I begin to smile so hard it hurts. He shines so brightly, and it has nothing to do with the spotlight on him. He waves at the audience, and it’s so clear that everyone loves him. When he gazes up, I know he’s looking directly at me.
Shit. I think I love him too.
Before I can freak out at that idea, the music starts up again. Seero closes his eyes in deep concentration, then moves his arms about in slow, controlled movements. A moment later, the water in the center pool begins to ripple. I blink, and several orbs begin to float into the air.
