70 Sunset Waltz (2/2)
And of course, the noble heir of the Kingscrown family, the Crown Prince of the North — Haydn Kingscrown — and his sister, Violett Kingscrown, the infamous Winter Princess of the North…
It went without saying that this was a gathering of monsters and a sight to behold. The Anima here was so dense here that it actually materialized as a beautiful aurora outside atop of the tree-spire for the entire city to witness.
The magnificent ballroom held individuals that could change the course of history with but a few words and among them was someone who could not have seemed more out of place if he tried…
Reed robotically sat in his seat of honor beside Velvund as he contemplated the meaning of the life. He'd been stuck in this state ever since the ceremony had started, an internal defense mechanism his mind had created to prevent him from thinking about the reality in front of him.
The auras of the figures in the room were frightening to witness in person. These were the people that he feared the most: Old freaks and their overly-talented genius children. The kind that he could do nothing to in a real fight. And escaping from them? The biggest joke of them all. These aberrations would probably kill himself before he even made the attempt.
Nowhere to run. Pointless to even fight. Nothing to do except wait for the inevitable…
When the meal ended, everyone moved to a larger ballroom and enjoyed a period of free time before the main coronation. Soft, cheerful music filled the room as a group of musicians played traditional Alf songs.
And before before, he could even recognize what happened, a flock of young, charming noble ladies had surrounded him. Like a slave, he'd been forced to politely accept their invitations and had become a dancing machine of royal descent.
Beautiful Avunian girls formed a seemingly never-ending queue and Reed felt his soul wither away as time passed by at a glacial rate. Soft whispers and sweet promises entered one ear and exited the other as he mechanically smiled and kept repeating the phrases, ”Yes, of course”, ”I'd be delighted to do that”, and ”You look marvelous.”
It was only after he satisfied the ladies of the court that he'd been allowed a moment of respite. Reed sighed deeply inside and wondered what he'd done to deserve this misery, and guessed that it must have been something terrible.
He quietly muttered to himself, ”I never want to dance again…” as he disdainfully stared at the lively party. He'd had enough for the night.
”Oh? What about my dance, then?” An all too familiar voice reached his ears and Reed felt his blood freeze over in shock.
There she was. His beautiful warden had come for him. He had been expecting her arrival.
Reed nearly choked when he saw her because she had come without a disguise on like him.
She was simply herself. It only served to demonstrate how powerful she really was; she didn't need techniques. She simply did what she wanted.
”First come, first serve, sweetcheeks,” said Reed in response. A genuine smile bloomed across his face and he said, ”But I can make an exception or two for you…”
”My, my… How generous of you, my prince,” said Lu'um. She grabbed his hands and dragged him back onto the dance floor as Reed wondered why he couldn't get rid of the smile on his face. He found it incredibly perplexing; it was as if he'd lost control over his face altogether.
He really couldn't help but smile when he looked at her, and that made him a bit... happy. He'd missed that feeling ever since he'd left, but then chuckled at himself in self-derision.
He'd been gone for about a week, at best, from her side. And yet, it felt like he'd been gone for much longer than that…
As the pair slowly waltzed to an unrecognizable Avunian song, they enjoyed the moment and forgot about their troubles. Before they knew it, they had entered their own little world as they savored a rare, tender moment of comfort with one another…
When Velvund saw how Reed's soul shone brighter than he'd ever seen, he figured it out almost instantly. To be honest, he did not even need to look at his soul to figure it out — Reed's face had all but given it away in the first place…
He warmly smiled as he watched the pair enjoy themselves, reminding him of the past when he, too, had been a young man…