Page 17 of Of Storm and Emerald
As the meal came to an end, musicians began playing a relaxing tune on the opposite side of the room signifying that dinner was over and it was time for the ball to commence. Queen Adelina and Princess Auraelia both stood from their seats and were quickly followed by the rest of the guests at the table.
Silence rang through the room as the queen began to speak.
“I would like to thank you all for joining us on this wonderful day as we celebrate crowning my daughter as Heir Apparent to the Court of Emerald.” The look that the queen beamed at her daughter was one full of pride. “And now that the meal has ended, please join us as we continue the celebration with Lyndaria’s finest wines and whiskeys, and a night of dancing.”
When she finished speaking, the musicians began playing a lively tune that was intended to pull people away from the table and onto the dance floor as servers filed into the room with trays of refreshments.
Guests began to meander away from the table and out into the area that had been designated as a ballroom for the evening. But as Daemon opened his mouth to offer to escort Auraelia across the room, Aiden caught his sleeve, pulling his attention.
“What is it, Aiden?” Daemon asked, clearly annoyed at the interruption.
Auraelia
The decorations from the night before were still present throughout the space, but her mother had added stems of peonies and roses to the vines on the columns as well as some bouquets around the room. It was beautiful, but she couldn’t fully appreciate it when she felt the intense stare of Prince Daemon burning into her back.
Right after her mother finished her speech, his friend, Aiden, managed to grab his attention long enough for her to slip away from the table with Piper and make her way to the receiving line where mother was formally greeting the guests.
As they made their way across the room, she could feel the excited energy radiating off her friend.
“Would you settle down, please? You’re making me anxious.”
“Rae, you really did not do him justice when you described him. He’shot! And I don’t know what you’re so nervous about, he clearly likes you…well at least we know he likespartsof you.” Piper wiggled her eyebrows to emphasize the innuendo in her statement.
Auraelia rolled her eyes and sighed, “Come on. Mother is waiting for us.”
Standing in the receiving line, greeting every single guest that attended any function, had to be one of the most boring and tedious parts of being a royal, but she always did it with a smile. About halfway through the line, she could feel Daemon’s heated gaze on her face from across the room–just as she had felt it on her back when she walked away from the table.
When she finally worked up the courage to meet his gaze, he gave her his signature smirk that made her knees tremble and started prowling in her direction.
Goddess, help me.
Before he even made it to the line, he was spotted by her mother. “Ah! Prince Daemon, I’m so glad that you were able to make it, and I’m so sorry to hear that your father is ill.”
“You’re too kind, Your Majesty.” He dipped into a low bow and placed a chaste kiss on the queen’s right ring finger where her emerald ring sat. The ring that signified her marriage to the kingdom, and that would one day be Auraelia’s.
When he rose, his eyes immediately found hers, and a cool breeze drifted through the room as they held each other’s gaze. She was drawn to him in a way that she couldn’t quite explain, but her heart fluttered in her chest every time his eyes met hers.
“Princess Auraelia,” Daemon said as he bowed, his voice low and smooth as silk.
“Prince Daemon,” she replied as she dipped into a shallow curtsy, trying not to show how much he affected her.
When he turned his attention back to her mother, it was as if a tether between them had been snapped.
“Your Majesty, I know it’s customary for the princess to receive all her guests. But I was wondering if I may have the honor of her first dance this evening.”
Auraelia’s eyes widened at his proposition, and it seemed to have taken the queen by surprise as well. But that minor shock quickly morphed into a mischievous smile that rivaled Piper’s.
No. No, no, no.
“Oh, of course. That is, if she agrees…” Her mother may have said she had a choice in the matter, but the look in her pewter eyes said differently. She loved her mother, but there were times–like this one–where she could see the wheels turning in her head when she got an idea and wouldn’t let it go.
When his gaze settled upon her once more, she was certain he could hear the rapid pace of her heart.
“Would you care to dance, Your Highness?” The golden pools in his eyes glowed in the lamplight, as he casually extended his hand, a subtle dare for her to reject his offer.
She took a deep breath to center herself and smiled as she placed her hand in his. “I would love to, Prince Daemon.”
Grinning like a cat who caught a canary, he led her out to the dance floor.
