The Ball

The Crown Prince's coming-of-age party was a big event. Therefore, a few days before Alexius was declared an adult, folk festivals and feasts had been held in the streets of the capital. Helga, the capital of Sigmund's Kingdom, had been decorated with all kinds of festival ornaments since a few days ago. Melisa listened to how the servants were excited about the event. Even as an aspiring crown princess, Melisa couldn't go anywhere other than perfecting her appearance at the peak event.

At the peak event Melisa was referring to, all the other royal envoys who had attended in the previous days would gather to witness the lavish feast in the main palace of the Sigmund Kingdom. From a distance, Melisa could see a long queue of horse-drawn carriages that seemed to have no end in sight. Melisa peeked out of her carriage as she passed by the long queue. In her heart, Melisa really wished she could see if anyone from her kingdom was in that long queue.

"Your Highness, we have arrived at the main palace."

Unfortunately, before Melisa could find the carriage with the symbol of the Kingdom of Cyrille, her carriage had already stopped because she was using a different entrance from the others. There, Melisa saw that Alexius' carriage had arrived first. Alexius only came into view after Melisa had dismounted from her carriage. The man smiled formally before offering his arm for Melisa to hold.

"You look beautiful today."

Even though Melisa knew that Alexius was performing this intimate scene to fool everyone, she didn't forget to thank her and smile along with her as if they were a lovely couple.

"Thank you. You also look perfect tonight."

With the careful grooming of the people in the palace, Alexius did look amazing on his special day. His good looks were unquestionable. But unfortunately, the almost perfect man had given his heart to someone else.

"We must stay together until the main event is over. Only then, you are free to go elsewhere as long as you are still in the area where the party is being held."

"Alright."

Melisa did not say much because she knew that staying together like now would only make Alexius feel uncomfortable. Her main mission today was just to look like the lover she cared about during the party. And to do that, making Alexius feel comfortable with her presence was one of the tasks she had to accomplish.

"...I heard that the envoy from the Kingdom of Cyrille will also be present today. You can spend the rest of your time meeting them after this. It's better than wandering around alone when all the attention is on me or you."

"I'll do that."

Meeting the person from her kingdom was Melisa's wish. Therefore, she answered quickly this time. Melisa's nervousness lessened a lot when she thought about her family again. Melisa's look was more confident when she thought about her family. In front of the affairs of the Cyrille Kingdom, Melisa thought that she certainly couldn't show any distress that could make the people of the Cyrille Kingdom worry about her.

"Father."

Because Melisa was too preoccupied thinking about her future meeting with the person from her kingdom, Melisa almost missed the chance to greet King Dillion, who would appear at the same time as them. Fortunately, Alexius' voice was quick enough to bring Melisa back to her senses. The two saluted in turn, with Melisa trying hard not to make any mistakes even if she had been daydreaming earlier.

"I see you two are already in a pretty close relationship."

"It's all thanks to you, Father. Melisa is a very nice girl. For the first time, I feel I can get along with my future wife."

Melisa could only continue to smile as King Dillion and Alexius talked about her as if she was not there. Melisa saluted once more when King Dillion looked at her intently. Since Melisa had no way of knowing what was on her future father-in-law's mind, she could only continue to smile and behave obediently to avoid getting into trouble with the man who held the key to her kingdom's safety.

"You should appreciate this one. She is someone who is called the most beautiful woman in the Kingdom of Cyrille. With her status and background, she is the most suitable to be with a man like you."

"I will keep that in mind, Father."

King Dillion questioned Melisa after that. And because Melisa had practiced so much, she had no trouble answering those short pleasantries.

For a while, their charade seemed to go unnoticed by the notoriously vigilant King Dillion. For the first time since they entered, Melisa could finally see a smile that seemed more genuine come over Alexius' face. Melisa could more or less guess the reason why Alexius' mood had suddenly improved. King Dillion and Alexius exchanged a few more words before a noble came to inform them that the time for their appearance had finally come.

"Princess."

With Alexius' call, Melisa tightened her grip on Alexius' arm. Melisa raised her head again. With slow steps, Melisa finally descended the stairs to follow King Dillion, who walked in front of them.

With every step, Melisa could feel that all eyes were on them. They especially noticed how Alexius accompanied her down the steps with attention while Melisa tightly held the man's hand.

"Pay your respects to His Majesty King Dillion, His Royal Highness Alexius, and Her Royal Highness Melisa!"

In front of the throne room, Dillion finally stopped walking and stood facing the people who had come to the party this time. Melisa and Alexius also took the same position. They were silent as they listened to how King Dillion gave words of welcome to the guests who had come that day.

"...What's wrong?"

Alexius turned her head and whispered to Melisa when the girl suddenly tightened her grip on Alexius. Alexius could see that Ariana was trying hard to hold back her eyes, which were slowly glazing over. The girl smiled emotionally as she whispered back to tell her the reason for her unstoppable happiness.

"They came. My family came today."

For Melisa who had been separated for a long time from the family that had taken care of her since childhood, seeing them well and even smiling broadly when she saw them filled Melisa with a feeling of emotion that was difficult for her to contain.