Dates For The Party

Everyone in the ballroom has paused to watch the spectacle, though neither the music nor the chatter has ceased. And now, not a soul seems to have a problem approaching me. Not when I can have them thrown from the party. Not when the king's guards obey my commands. In fact, I'm greeted by no fewer than ten nobles as they grab drinks and sample hors d'oeuvres.

"An astonishing party. Are those chocolates shaped like rosebuds?" Tristan plucks a candy from the table and tosses it into his mouth. After swallowing, he adds, "I could kiss you right now."

"Best not to do it in public," I say.

"Seriously, Loralie. Thank you. I know I've already said it, but I'll say it again. You freed me from Melita. She's left the palace, she was so distraught over the breakup, Eliades's rejection, and then Eliades's imprisonment. I'm a free man again."

And he doesn't even know I just saved him from marriage to me, as well.

"How are you enjoying your bachelorhood?" I ask.

"I'm going to celebrate by dancing with every single gorgeous woman in attendance tonight. That includes you. Save me a dance?"

"Of course."

He kisses my hand, and I watch him take off to a corner where Damien and Kastien laugh together. It's nice to see Kastien. I worried he wouldn't come. As if sensing my gaze, he looks over. Upon seeing me watching, he offers a small smile. I offer him a grand one in return.

He is clad in all black, just as Kassian was the first time I laid eyes on him. Only Kastien wears a painted black rose near his lapels. I almost miss the plant, since it blends in so well with his waistcoat. The sight of the flower endears Kasien to me even more. Kassian hasn't spoken to him in a year, and yet, he shows up at a party in honor of the king's mother and wears her favorite blossom. The rest of his dark attire makes Kastien's golden skin look lighter, and it really brings out the darker undertones in his pale brown hair.

It doesn't matter what he wears—he's so handsome and thoughtful. He really will make some girl very happy. I force my gaze away and survey more of the room. I'm pleased to find that most everyone is showing up in the proper attire. I see a group of ladies dressed as tulips, their necklines rising in the back to a standing collar, curving around their heads and to the sides of their faces, shaping like a tulip's petals. Bands around their heads have the protruding stamen.

One lady is ambitious enough to attempt what I think is supposed to be a daffodil. With a gold hat shaped like the flower's horn, she looks rather … different.

The men are predictably boring, with nothing more than flowers in their breast pockets to match the ladies.

I spot Hanisa and Risana and rush over to them. The hem at the base of her dress is gathered into clusters that look like purple-pink rhododendrons. Simple, yet quite elegant.

Hanisa is a marvel in dusty pink. She, too, went for roses, but instead of shaping the entire dress like one, she simply had her seamstress sew exquisite beading over the entire skirt, shaping trails of thorny vines and blossoming flowers.

"You both look exquisite," I say.

"Thank you," Hanisa says. "Did you notice my shawl?"

I take the time to examine the pink silk about her shoulders. "Oh, you sewed it yourself, didn't you?"

It's a simple task, sewing down the ends to give the accessory a smooth edge all around, but I know how terrible Hanisa was when she started learning to sew, unable to keep her stitches straight. And while the shawl isn't perfect, as I can see a loose thread hanging off one end, most of the stitches look fantastic.

"It looks amazing," I tell her.

"I had a good teacher," she says in return.

"The decor turned out even better than you described," Risana offers. "And you put everyone to shame with your dress. How do you manage to look like a flower without looking ridiculous?"

"I spent a lot of time on it," I admit. When I wasn't with Kassian, I was sewing.

"Something is missing," I note as I survey Rhoda. "Ah, I told you to bring Kaelan! Where is he?"

Rhoda flicks a black lock over her shoulder, discreetly pointing her head toward a spot against the wall.

It takes me three tries before I spot him. I was looking for a servant, dressed in simple cotton and drab colors. I wasn't prepared for a dashing man in purple-pink brocade. He even fixed his hair, somehow getting the ends to smooth back out of his face. Despite the improved attire, the man looks terribly uncomfortable with the way his hands twitch at his sides and the way he eyes the guards nearby as though expecting to be thrown out.

"Whatever is he doing over there?" I ask.

Risana sighs. "He's waiting to, well, wait on me."

"But didn't you tell him he was to be your escort?"

"I did, but I think he misunderstood me. He only accepted the clothing I had made for him because he knew he couldn't serve me tonight if he wasn't dressed for the occasion."

"Oh, Risana, you must set things straight for him."

"That's what I told her," Hanisa says.

"I tried," Risana says. "I told him to walk with me and be at my side, but he insisted he could see if I needed anything from the corners of the room."

I shake my head. "Stop being so timid with him. Sometimes men need a little help. Do something that he can't mistake as being a servant's task."

"Like what?"

"Invite him to dance with you."

Her eyes turn down, and she fiddles with her own fingers.

"What's the matter?" Hanisa asks.

"What if he tells me no?" Risana confesses "What if he's trying to tell me he's not interested by purposely misunderstanding my intentions? What if I'm harassing him? Or worse, what if he feels obligated to abide my wishes when I do make myself clear because I am his employer?"

"Oh god," Hanisa says. "All that uncertainty and fear? It comes with being in love. But once you're past it, everything is wonderful! Of course Kaelan cares for you. He's been at your side for years. No servant is obligated to become your friend and confidant, yet Kaelan has always been both for you. He loves you. It's obvious to everyone. Now, go and get your man."

Risana steels herself before marching in Kaelan's direction.

I turn to Hanisa. "Very sage advice."

"I only learned it myself a short time ago."

I pause a moment. "How—how do you get past that fear? How is it worth what might come later? The heartbreak?" She considers my questions before answering, "I think that when you care enough for someone, you reach a point where it's far more painful not to have him at all than to have him and risk losing him. You realize the risk is worth it. Because happiness, however short-lived, is always worth it."

We both watch as Risana reaches Kaelan. She says something to him, and he nods. She says something more, and he looks at her, his head quirking in curiosity. Then she throws her head back, grabs his arm, and drags him to the dance floor.

It's awkward to watch at first. Risana leads, because Kaelan has not been taught the dances. Not as a commoner. But after a moment, his arms hold her more firmly, his feet find the steps, and he has eyes for nothing but the dazzling woman in front of him. He has the look of a man who has just been handed the world.

"Now, isn't that worth it?" Hestia says.

"Where is your Lord Paulos this evening?" I ask, changing the subject.

"Oh, he said he'd be a little late. Some business he had to attend to."

"Men are always attending to business."

"But the king isn't. Is he not just sitting on the dais? Why haven't you gone to him?"

"He hasn't come to me."

"He knows you're in charge of this party. Perhaps he fears

getting in the way."

"The party is already all planned out. I am simply enjoying it now. He should be enjoying it with me. But he won't even look at me now."

Hanisa her lips. "Sometimes I wish we could know exactly what ridiculous thoughts were going through their heads."

"Indeed."