âIâll be there tomorrow, so donât worry too much.â
âOh, I can dance with you, teacher. Then, even with magicâ¦â Irisâs face brightened up. With Elaine, she could use magic. She was sure. However, her teacher dismissed the poor studentâs hope at once.
âIris, youâre a queen,â Elaine reminded her. âThe king and queen usually dance together and open the ball. Itâs an old tradition. Would you, as the Queen, have your first dance with another man in front of the King? Even that crazy woman Rosemary wouldnât dare try that.â
âWhy canât you dance with me rather?â
âNo, the first dance must be with King Sidrain!â
âNo, no, no, no!â Iris fell to the ground throwing a tantrum and let out a woeful shriek. Elaine didnât stop her because he knew she could scream as much as she wanted to, because he had soundproofed the room.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
According to Irisâs brief study, all of the kings of the Letaire Empire used the name of the empire as part of their surname. The kings also had letters in between their name and surname, to show their status as being king. The royalty of this country attached âEnâ, and the royalty of the next country attached âSeâ to their surnames. There was only one person, the emperor, who could write an empire name without attaching anything. If Sidrain became emperor, his name would then be Sidrain Letaire.
The people were convinced heâd be Sidrain Letaire in a few years. Iris was very afraid of him. A swordmaster whoâd slain the dragon, the same man whoâd slapped his wife in the face, and now, a man who suddenly acted friendly. She couldnât understand his behavior.
âIâll do my best to help, but thereâs nothing I can do about this,â Elaine said bitterly. âGet out of there somehow. If you donât feel right, pretend to be sick. Do you understand?â
It wasnât difficult to fake an illness, it was just difficult to fake it in this palace. The palace was teeming with skilled courtiers, and they may recognize that Iris was faking being ill. They could also discover that she was using magic, which would make matters worse.
Elaine and she spent the night agonizing, but they couldnât come up with a clear solution. Finally, he disappeared, and Iris sighed as she sat alone.
It was pitch-dark in her room but she couldnât sleep, she didnât know what to do. If she danced incorrectly with the King, everyone would know that she wasnât a queen. The King would be furious. Havenât I seen him angry already once? I was terrified! But, she recalled what heâd said while they ate, heâd said she could tell him anything.
What if she told him that sheâd forgotten how to dance? Wouldnât he perhaps listen to her? She wasnât sure if she should do that. Could she, a member of the tower, say that to the King? She didnât ask her teacher if she should trust him or not. Unfortunately, the Spring dance was today, and there was no way to ask her teacher now.
It was simple to use magic but there were too many eyes watching her, so she couldnât risk it, and neither could Elaine. It was safer for them to have as little contact with each other as possible. Iris went back and forth trying to find a solution. She was leaning towards the idea of trusting the King, just this one time.
Suddenly, the door opened. Flowers were brought in the same way as the previous day, and soon the room looked like a fresh new flower garden. Iris watched King Sidrain, who stood with his eyes closed, unlike yesterday. He was as perfect as he was the day before. He had an ancient warriorâs body, his face was elegant and refined. He had red hair that made him look like a fiery man, but his red eyes made him look somewhat beast-like. Many beings seemed to be asleep in his strong, beautifully coordinated body.
âHello, my Queen. Did you sleep well?â Sidrain had walked over and sat on the bed to talk to her, putting his lips to her hair as if it were a habit.
âI want to tell you a secret,â Iris whispered. Fearing for her safety, this man was the only lifeline for her at this moment. Even if she didnât want to believe it, even if he was rotten to the core, she had no choice but to tell him right now.
Sidrain looked at Iris, who was trembling slightly and speaking in a squeaky voice. She was talking as if she were offering herself to him and he was very pleased with her attitude. She was lovely, he had to admit. What canât be done with this new attitude? Furthermore, Sidrain had an idea about what Iris was going to ask him. He hadnât slept at all last night and neither had Iris. Heâd held back a laugh on the roof as heâd overheard her sufferings. Unfortunately, his Queen didnât know how to dance, and he knew that now.
âAnything, my Lady. It will come true as you wish.â Sidrain took Iris by the hand and kissed the back of it gently as if to reassure her.
***
Some even called it a âcrazy spring partyâ. The party seemed to start as per normal and was as perfect as ever. But it did feel comfortable to Rosemary. She was an extraordinary woman in many ways, but she was not the queen of social circles. The party sheâd organized was beyond beautiful, and one that was talked about for a long time. Compared to others, it was by far the best.
âYou said she wasnât doing very well?â One of the lady guests commented.
âDid her personality also subside a little when she drank from the Haranâs river?â Another lady said sarcastically. The ladies all laughed and a black fog seemed to rise around them as they covered their mouths with fans and giggled. The gentleman shunned their spouses, mistresses, or first loveâs; today the women looked quite scary.