Robert

Thank you for the dance, Jess. He said, and she bowed.

As she stepped back, she saw how his predatory eyes looked at her every move. She was confused by his interest in her and hoped it was just her imagination playing tricks on her.

It was a common practice for men to woo women who were unmarried and past the marriageable age. A man like Edmund could kidnap her along the way and forcefully take her to his house as his wife, and nobody would bat an eye.

In the custom of Zaza, the men could forcefully take home a lady of marriageable age who was not betrothed to any man and make her his wife.

How the women felt about the forced marriage was of no importance to these men. After a few months in captivity, the women would have no choice but to accept their fate put the painful incident behind them, and focus on their new homes.

To avoid such a fate, girls married in their teenage and early twenties. Jess had been able to escape from the eyes of men who wanted to claim her forcefully as a wife because she was engaged to James.

But it has been two years, and James was not talking about settling down nor having a small ceremony to announce them as husband and wife.

James had left Black Wood Pine for the capital despite her pleas not to go, to join the military. He wanted to wait for another year or two before he settled them as he wanted her to lack nothing when she became his wife, he had told her.

Jess did not mind the simple life; luxury was not the most important thing to her, but love and respect.

As the crown prince blended with the crowd and disappeared out of sight, her eyes swept across the room for a few seconds before she walked through the crowd of men and women.

Jess hugged herself and rubbed her arms as she moved from the ballroom filled with people to a less crowded place where the cold night wind blew softly. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

Not wanting to disturb her sister, who was chatting with a man who wore such fine clothes, she opted to look around the castle while searching for her parents. While exploring not too far away from the ballroom so that she does not end up in the same situation she found herself in earlier.

As she walked, she heard someone call her name.

Lady Jess,

She turned back to see who had called out to her when she saw a man with a silver mask on his face coming towards her.

Her eyeball was drawn downward in curiosity just before being raised in recognition.

Mr. Robert, she whispered.

Lady Smith, Robert gave her a bow, and Jess returned it.

You look beautiful with such a gown that accentuates your beauty. I could hardly recognize you if I had not looked close enough. Robert complimented, and she had to hold in the blush before it would reach her cheeks.

Thank you, you are not looking bad yourself, she said with a shy smile.

You must be surprised to see me here, said Robert, and Jess nodded as he was not that high in the social ranking to have gotten an invitation to the ball, she believed.

Lord Collins got an invitation and asked me to accompany him, and that was how I got the opportunity to attend, he informed her.

So that is how it was? Jess thought to herself.

She wondered if Mr. Robert had entered the castle without an invitation. But it turned out that Lord Collins, the Chief Officer in charge of entertainment, had invited him.

Though I would come and look for you, he said, his eyes lingering over her.

You found me, she whispered with a shrug, and he gave her a nod.

Yes, I did; he said, unable to keep his eyes off the girl standing before him.

Jess was glad that Robert came to look for her as she was getting bored and out of place in the crowded room and wouldn’t mind some company.

Are you enjoying your time here? He asked, his eyes turning away from her when two guests passed through the corridor. Mr. Robert moved back to give her the space to move toward the wall so people could walk past freely.

I am enjoying the ball as the castle is beautiful and grand, she replied before silence filled the space between them as she did not know what to say.
The night was cold, and the light in the corridor was soft and gentle on the ornate furniture around it.

Jess was beautiful and had a smile that captivated men, which she was unaware of.

The Smiths had no son, and as the first daughter of the family, there were responsibilities that only her father could not handle, considering his ill health for the past few weeks. She was determined to help out her father in his business and make money to pay some of the bills.

Jess knew the competition between women and men and had always kept her conversations polite and brief.

Lord Collins might be wondering where you are if he were to find you missing. Jess pointed out.

Lord Collins is discussing with the Council Chief of Ilu Village. I am sure he would not mind me mingling and enjoying the party.

That is alright. I saw you from a distance and wanted to come to say hello. Robert said as Jess’s eyes met his before she turned to look at another person who passed by.

While Jess had left the room briefly for some fresh air, the king had left the room entirely, unable to get her scent out of his head. He was like a bee that had found the sweetest flower in the garden.

On leaving the ballroom, he ran into his brother, who was laughing and giggling with a woman. Daniel whispered something into the woman’s ear that made her smile. She left his side to enter a nearby room.

I am looking for something, Brock said.

I could ask Paul to find it for you unless you lost it. Daniel replied, tilting his head.

A prince never loses what belongs to him. He finds it himself and guards it from the eyes of others who might be foolish enough to want to steal it from him, he replied with a glint in his eyes that made Daniel look at him curiously.

Daniel chuckled, realizing his brother was talking about the lady he saw at the tavern. He thought his brother was only joking and wanted the girl for amusement, but he was wrong.

He hoped that, for her sake, he would soon get bored of her and discard her like the rest because the storm that awaited her for having caught his interest would be catastrophic.