The ball

     A knock got those two out of their thoughts and in came Charles with a tray of tea.

"The tea is here, Milord." Said Charles then started to serve the peppermint tea for his master.

"The bath and the suit are ready as per your orders, Milord." informed Charles. David looked down at the pocked watch that read five past nine in the evening. He pushed himself up from the chair, ready to leave for the bath when Jack asked: "Are you going somewhere, my lord?"

"The victory celebration ball." answered David curtly.

"Will she be there too?" Jack inquired, hoping to get a chance to meet his dear old friend.

With knowing eyes, David replied: "You can come along. Though I am not very positive of her attending." 

  "Well, one never knows." Jack replied with a smile

  "True."

 They walked out of the study room and along the corridors then stopped at the stairs.

  "If, by any chance, she came to the ball, act like you don't know her. It will be quite a fuss if a butler approached a princess, so be careful." warned David, and Jack nodded.

  "Then I shall go prepare myself. Excuse me." said Jackson with a bow and David replied with a slight nod.

                                                                                   ****

  It was dark outside when Elisabeth finally opened her eyes. Her eyelids were heavy and her head felt dizzy. She blinked a couple of times, trying to take in her surroundings.

'Ah, the bedroom.' She thought.

  She lifted up her upper body in an attempt to get out of bed but a searing pain in her head prevented her. She narrowed her eyes, recalling what happened. It was painful to the degree of wishing she died instead. And the blood she saw when she opened her eyes didn't help at all either.

  Actually, it wasn't the first time something like that occurred. It was three months ago when it first happened. And she wasn't as lucky as today at that time for there was no one who knew how to deal with it as the duke did. So, she stayed in that state with all the pain until she passed out. She didn't wake up until a week later.

  Back then, she thought it was some kind of illness or something. But seeing how the duke of Krams has helped her overcome it, and the words he asked her to enchant, like a ritual, she no more sees it as a sickness. Was she cursed then? The idea alone sent shivers down her spine. Curses are no good. Not only are they hard to deal with and cure, but it also puts the cursed person in the danger of getting burned to death by the villagers and people of the town to stop the curse from getting into one of them too.

 She imagined herself tied to a wooden pillar surrounded with flames and angry people. She flinched at the thought. 'I still want to live.'

  "Your highness, you're awake!" the cheerful voice of Anna stirred Elisabeth of her ominous thoughts.

  "Oh, Anna. For how long was I asleep?" Elisabeth asked the tearful Anna who was mumbling grateful words and thanking god for his generosity.

  "It's been more than four hours, your highness." she said with a frown, clearly worried about her lady's well being.

Well, no one can blame her for she has never seen the princess in such a state. Had it not been for the duke's help, she didn't know what would have happened; her lady might have gone to the other world by now.

 Looking at Anna's pitiful face, Elisabeth, though not at all in the mood, smiled a bright smile and reassured her loyal maid of her well being.

  Anna went out for some time then returned with a bowl of soup, a glass of lukewarm water and a cup of medicine tea.

 "Is that fish?" Elisabeth asked with a slight frown when the smell of fish penetrated her nostrils.

 "It's fish soup, your highness. Do you dislike it, perhaps? Should I change it to chicken soup?" asked Anna worriedly, thinking that the duke was wrong about her lady's tastes.

 "What are you talking about, Anna! Bring it here quickly!" said Elisabeth excitedly. She took a full spoon and moaned when the heavenly flavours conquered her mouth.

 "How did you know I love fish, Anna?" asked Elisabeth since she has never said anything about her favourite food. But the answer was so unexpected.

 "What? He told you to prepare it because I like fish?!" well this is surprising. How would he, someone she met only this afternoon, know about her favourite food when even her personal maid doesn't? 

 'Is he some kind of stalker? But then he only knew of my existence at today's party.' She mused. She thought it was suspicious how he behaved when he saw her in the afternoon, how he knew exactly how to deal with her unbearable headache, and now this. She felt he knew a lot about her for someone who had nothing to do with her.

  "What time is it?" she asked. Anna thought for a moment then answered: "It was half past ten in the evening when I first came here."

  'I still have time.'

  "Prepare my dress for the ball." she ordered her maid.

  "Are you attending the ball? In this state of yours? Sorry your highness, I don't mean to be disrespectful, but I don't think it's a bright Idea." said Anna worriedly. Her mistress sure was still ill.

"I need to find the duke and ask him some questions. Don't you think it's fishy that he knows really too much about me? I only ate fish when learning etiquette with Mrs. Claire and I didn't voice my liking back then. And I've never eaten fish before that in all my life, as a commoner. So how did he know?!"

 "Well, Mrs. Claire might have seen the pleased expression on your highness's face and guessed you liked it, and... he asked her?" said Anna trying to make sense of the situation.

 "Assuming you're right; then he must have asked people about me or even investigated me. Why would he do that?" 'And I still need to know what that headache is.'

 "Now that I think about it, it seems like he knows you princess. Did you perhaps meet before, your highness?" asked Anna.

 To Anna, the duke seemed totally into the princess. When Elisabeth shook her head in negation, Anna thought for a second then said excitedly:"Then maybe it's love from the first sight! Oh My God! That will be hilarious your highness!" 

 "What are you talking about?! Stop saying nonsense!" exclaimed Elisabeth with slightly red cheeks.

  "Oh your highness, you would think of the same if you saw his expression when you were in pain. He was so worried and his already pale complexion became paler. He even kis-c c carried you to your bedroom." She almost slipped and said that he kissed her. The frightening look he gave her while asking her to keep it a secret still sends chills down her spine whenever she remembered it. And she has no intention to die this soon.

 Elisabeth's cheeks became redder hearing that he carried her to the bedroom himself.

'Why would he?' she thought.

 "Well, stop talking and hurry up. We've wasted enough time chatting." She urged the maid and Anna started to prepare her for the ball.

                                                                                     ***

  In the lounge designated to the Krams household in the main palace, four men were sitting around the rectangular mahogany table.

  "I would understand if it is revenge his highness seeks by this, but what about you, Duke Krams? I don't think you are someone who would participate in such a plan just because of blood ties. And you, Marquis Istria? You are not at all related." said a middle aged man looking at both David and Alexander with a puzzled look.

  "The late empress was my beloved aunt, Marquis. Her death left a very bitter taste in my mouth. Especially since it was only days after my mother died. I won't lie and say that I didn't think of taking the emperor down for killing my aunt in the pretext of treason. I did. But the crown prince here reminded me of how unwise it was to dethrone him when the empire was most unbalanced." said David in his usual cold domineering voice.

 "And now is timely?" asked Marquis Ravel in a stoic voice. He wasn't convinced that it was neither only for revenge nor to claim the crown prince emperor. He believed there was an ulterior, strong motive for the three of them to be so determined.

 "Marquis Ravel" Now it was Nickolas who talked. "I, the crown prince, wouldn't have waited this long if I wanted to revenge, nor would my cousin, the duke of Krams. But we quelled our anger and rage and didn't want to shed innocent blood. We left him seated in that throne for the sake of this empire and its people. And we will remove him from there for the sake of this empire and its people."

He then tossed him some files.