Chapter 7

"You speak of the prince as if you know him well?" he suddenly asked, knocking away my concentration.

"I don't need to know him well to get a guise of his foundations", I replied, stepping a bit too close to his foot, noticing how he skillfully avoided my feet.

"And how exactly did you determine his foundation?" he had a smirk on his face as his eyes danced between our feet. Oh, he knew...

"Well, he's always handling the little scuffles around the borders. Whether it's due to the other countries or rogue bandits, everyone says he's a ruthless murderer who kills without empathy. I don't think he's even attending this ball, if I'm being honest," I rambled away, well aware he could report me for defamation of royalty.

"Do you believe he's a ruthless killer?" He asked. There was a playful lift in his brow as he grinned.

"I suppose you have to be in battles", I replied thoughtfully and then, realising that might make me come off as sensible, I added, "or you never know, someone may die tonight" I laughed.

He seemed to like my answer since his smile did not falter. I couldn't help but admire the sparkle of his white teeth, straight with his canines slightly pointy. It looked cute. I couldn't help but feel like the distance between us was much smaller than before, and I became hyper-aware of the hand on my waist that occasionally brushed my lower back.

"Then what of his blood?" His question surprised me because his mouth was not only close to my ear, but I could feel his body heat pouring into my entire body.

I barely comprehended the question.

"Hi- His blood?" I repeated, "Oh… you mean him being half…." I couldn't say the word. You could get socially excluded for saying it, so I never honestly said it out loud, not publicly and rarely privately. "Well, I've met people who weren't human for business trips. I've even lived with them at a guest house -keep this to yourself, please- but they're quite similar to us. They earn money to provide for their family. And I discovered that most of the tales of them are false, probably bought on by propaganda".

It felt like I was sharing a personal secret. In some ways, I was, but the man furrowed his brows.

"What exactly did you meet?" He asked.

"Elves and goblins, both of which are charming and hospitable", I defiantly said. Who I was defying, I wasn't sure.

"Then what of vampires?" I cringed at the very word.

How could he say it so casually?

"They- They aren't as vicious as people make them out to be, but…."

"But?" He took a stray hair and tucked it behind my ear, lifting my chin, so I looked up into his red eyes. Red eyes. It was only for a moment before the shadow of his mask covered them and the night disappeared as if it had been rushed off.

"Woah", I breathed out, my eyes widening in awe, "your eyes are beautiful!" I realised I must have spoken too loud because I heard a few people snicker, and my face blushed. I looked down and explained, "I- I've never seen that colour, so sorry if I acted insolently".

There was no reply. None at all. I noticed his hand on my waist felt quite stiff, and his rigid movements.

"You much bolder than I anticipated", he finally spoke, clearing his throat, "Most women wouldn't dare say anything so easily misunderstood" it almost felt like he was scolding me, but when I glanced at his face, he wore a teasing grin.

I felt my face flush deeper and shook it to get my head straight.

"Well, I speak to men quite often, almost daily" If there was one thing I knew well about men is that despite their tough exterior, they were usually quite easily intimidated. Hopefully, the prince is too.

"That makes sense. I may have forgotten I was speaking to a young lady as of right now, had I ever met a man of such a small stature" he smirked, and a piece of his hair slipped beside his face.

I felt my temper flare and kept it under tight reins.

"I think we've danced enough. Shouldn't you evaluate the other ladies already?" Just as I said that, I glanced over to see one of the masked men kissing a girl and my brows lifted in surprise. Then I saw another. And then another.

"It seems they're quite preoccupied" he sounded like he enjoyed it.

As I was spun around, I saw a few others. Occasionally I saw a girl push them away with surprise. I caught Crystal doing the same.

"Why would they?"- I almost shrieked when I felt the man I danced with get closer to me and placed a hand on his chest to push him away. He didn't budge. The chest I continued to push was hard, clearly the result of a man who did some sort of training.

"You look scared? And here I thought you were comfortable around men" he chuckled as he stepped back and continued to spin me.

I clicked my tongue.

"It's not funny", I glared at him, "I don't court men of such monstrous height" I genuinely wish I had a better come back.

"Monstrous? I heard I was an ideal height. I was under the impression women liked taller men… oh, but considering your freakishly short stature; I must seem quite scary to you" he grinned at me like a chef who had just roasted his next meal.

He had burnt me to crisp…

"Well- the Crown Prince would be better off picking a taller queen, so I guess it's for the best", I replied in utter misery.

I hated my shortness. It wasn't freakish like he joked , but it was noticeable.

"Why would a queen's height matter? The dais is always a level above everything so that nobody would care," he said, and for a moment, I thought he was trying to make me feel better.

I frowned at his reasoning. It was undeniably correct. How annoying. I decided that maybe he enjoyed this conversation, so I decided to stop speaking so he would leave, but instead, he continued on his own.

"I heard your boutique doesn't sell men's wear".

"It will be when we start up in the Capital", I quickly replied, hoping to secure a customer.

It was when I caught his satisfied smile that I cursed my naivety. I sighed hopelessly. This man was great at the art of manipulation.

"I see, then I hope you open successfully" he gave me a slight bow as the song came to an and I curtsied back.

"Only if you relay to the prince that I'm no good for a queen candidate" I couldn't help myself but couldn't allow a chuckle when he snorted.

"It was truly an enjoyable dance, My lady", he smiled, eyes calculating just about every aspect of me.

"Can't say the same," I said with my most polite smile.

"Again, I'm stunned at your graceful manners Miss Colter. Maybe I'll bother you in your boutique next?" He asked while lifting one of my hands to his lips.

"I'll let you in as a VIP if you agree to spend over a thousand," I said in all seriousness which made him laugh.

"Consider it done".