52 Chapter 52 The Ball (1/2)

Joseph was nervous. It was the day of the court ball. He knew it was scheduled so late in the month, so the king would have an excuse to have them leave as soon as it was over, but it didn't matter. All of his slaves had been working in overtime, and would have enough time to copy everything they were searching for. The only thing he was waiting for were notes from the mages and he fully expected to be handed those as he was leaving.

Every time he had asked about them, he got the response that they weren't quite ready. He simply threw that ball at the king, when he received the same response twice. It would now be the king hounding them instead of him. He was sure it was giving him quite a headache.

Stella was just as nervous as he was, as she had come from a literal wh.o.r.e house to be here, at a royal function, and they both knew someone was going to cause trouble. It would be a miracle if there wasn't something that happened tonight.

Before getting dressed, he had surprised Stella with a gift of 2 ounces of soap he had made himself. After his memories of being clean in his last life, the soap that was used here was almost like bathing with lard, so he had tried to make his own on his own time, and Stella knew about that. But the reason the 2 ounces were so amazing, was because he had experimented and abused his poor acute smell, until he successfully made a scent very close to the flowers from the island. The fragrance was subtle, but it was there.

”My lady, may I escort you this evening, to the ball?” he asked with a flourish and a bow.

She took his arm, and they arrived promptly at the ball entrance. They were announced as Mister Joseph and guest, but they both decided to let it go. The night was looking to be a magical time for the two of them, as they had practiced a long time for this. Their clothing was unlike anything else on the planet, and the fabric their clothing was made from was far better than anything anyone other than the king himself.

After eating a light meal from the buffet, they started to dance. It was wonderful. Joseph's single minded kicked in and they twirled and danced until they had to stop to get a drink. That's when the trouble started.

”I can't believe the King would trust a filthy commoner and slave merchant with such power. Had he appointed me, ladies, I a.s.sure you the King would have had nothing to worry about. As it is, I am probably going to be cleaning up after them. To think some riff-raff from another country would trick the king so.”

Joseph smiled at Stella, ”Stella, I think that may be the bravest, or the dumbest, man I have ever met.”

His voice was loud. Loud enough that everyone standing around them heard without any problem, what he was saying.

”What was that, brat?” he snarled, turning towards him.

”Oh, nothing, Sir Reginald. I was just surprised. In my home country, something that insolent being said about the king, in his own palace, at his own party, would get you executed. Maybe your king is gracious enough, it will end with just revocation of peerage. After all, you sounded just like those unloyal n.o.bles, who have been spreading the rumor your king was foolish, and taken advantage of by a, what was it? Commoner and a slave merchant?

”That would border on insults to the crown, in the best of times, much less in his own palace, before sending the army off to the front. I only hope the army's morale isn't lowered by such slander, and more casualties occur. What's more, wis.h.i.+ng for the failure of the army, that the king proposed, and the death of your citizen's, so that you, yourself, can gain merits, seems, odd.”

The ladies he had been wooing, suddenly started looking at him oddly, after Joseph rephrased what he had been stating, into a more negative light. There was quite a crowd by then. He was starting to look a bit green, but it was obvious he was going to attempt to bl.u.s.ter through it.

”Why you little…That is not what I said!

”Most of it you said, the rest was…”

A scream broke out, causing everyone to turn.

A well-dressed lady, with fancy black hair up in a bun, was pointing at one of Joseph's servants against the wall.

”It's him! That man a.s.saulted me!” she exclaimed loudly, pulling out a handkerchief and dabbing her eyes as they turned red and started tearing up.

”The day before yesterday he forced himself on me! I tried to resist, but he overpowered me!”

Another man stood up, ”Whose man is that?” he demanded. The woman started crying hysterically, her oversized bosom was heaving so, it threatened to break free of her bodice.

”He's mine,” said Joseph calmly, as everyone who had been paying attention, now swung to look back at him. It was obvious from the actors that they weren't expecting him to openly claim the man as his.

”You lowly…” began another n.o.ble in rage.

”Enough!” the King yelled out.

Only the sounds of the woman's sobbing echoed in the silence.