Bab 14: The Red Ball

NOT ONLY WAS her blood blue, her eyes, too, held the icy shade of a storm. The queen, poised to perfection, was what caught Alice's attention first when they were ushered over to greet the royal family. In unison, the three bowed and curtsied respectively, dipping their heads low in respect before rising. All the while, Alice could feel Her Royal Majesty's piercing gaze seared on the back of her neck before burning into her cheeks, something that never quite left despite the ticking seconds.

Wyatt and Charlie did their greetings, exchanging trivial words wishing well of the royal family. When it came to Alice's turn, she simply copied, repeating exactly as she was told by Wyatt to do so. However, when inside a serpent's cage, nothing would go as expected.

"And who is this young lady?" The queen piped up, a hand raised, index finger curling before gently pressing against her blood-red bottom lip. "I don't believe I've seen her before."

Met with the direct gaze that pierced like a bullet straight through tender flesh, Alice gulped on reflex. She struggled to keep the smile on her face, unwavering, before dipping into another curtsy, this time not as deep as the first.

"Replying to Your Majesty, her name is Alice Clemente," Wyatt replied smoothly, introducing Alice without missing a beat. "She is a distant cousin who had just moved in to live with us due to some issues in regards to her immediate family."

"Oh." Her smile hidden behind an opened lace fan colored burgundy, the queen sighed out loud. "I never knew that the Ragans had such a lovely daughter." Then, she turned to the king, saying with a short giggle, "The young lady seems to be the princes' age, doesn't she?"

Alice couldn't have missed the sparkle in her eye. Like light caught on pure white snow, there was a dangerous glint hidden within those pale blue irises. There was something somewhat familiar about that specific shade, almost as though she had seen that color somewhere before. Even though both the king and the prince had eyes that were blue, they weren't similar shades. This frosty color had only appeared one other time in Alice's memory.

Nodding to his wife, the king beamed but stayed quiet. Alice thought silently to herself that he seemed like a man of little words. Instead, he allowed the queen to do the talking for him, simply content with sitting and watching from a pedestal, a god that didn't mess with the mortals of his creation. Despite his silence, the king still looked every bit as regal, every bit as intimidating as Alice had assumed kings would be. In fact, it was perhaps because of his quietness did he seem so utterly terrifying.

The queen had now turned to look at Wyatt, finally tearing her eyes away from Alice. However, the feeling of someone staring at her still remained. She daren't look head-on in the direction where it came from but she knew without a doubt that it was from where the prince in black stood. He seemed to be observing her, watching wordlessly like a scientist observing a test subject in an experiment. She wasn't sure what it was about her that had caught his attention but Alice's heart squirmed in anxiousness. It wasn't good to stand out. At least, from what Wyatt and Charlie had warned, she shouldn't stand out in the royal palace of all places.

"Wyatt, thank you for helping Prince Hartley with his duties, as usual. That boy, he'll be so lost without your guidance." Lightly, the queen fanned herself, the extended lace fluttering about in the air with each movement of her hand. Her scarlet lips were curved upwards. It wasn't cold by all means but that smile was also not very friendly.

Humbly, Wyatt bowed. "I am merely performing my duty in serving the crown prince. It is nothing that deserves gratitude nor praise."

Leaning forward in her seat, the queen continued to grin. With one sharp movement, her rose-colored fan folded shut with a snap, held in between her fingers as she crossed one leg over the other. Leaning her forearm on her knee, she showed a clear view of her long, pale neck before leading down to a scandalously exposed cleavage. Despite her clear attempt to taunt and tease Wyatt and Charlie into acting out of line, neither did the king stop her nor did Wyatt or Charlie even flinch. Their cheeks remained their usual shade even behind their masks, perfectly stoic and practiced.

Alice shuddered. For them to have refined and perfected that facade, there was no question that lying through their teeth would be no difficult task for both brothers. Even Charlie, who seemed to bumble around with a clumsy pair of limbs and overly emotional expressions in their everyday life, was a calm sheet of paper, blank. Truly, nothing about their society could be trusted.

Seeing how the pair had no reaction, the queen seemed satisfied. She finally adjusted her position, sitting tall and straight again, legs no longer crossed. With both hands on her lap, she nodded once, eyes focused on Wyatt while she spoke before weaving over to Alice at the last second.

"Please enjoy the ball. It's the least the royal family could do for you people who have worked so hard to ensure its success," she said.

"Thank you, Your Majesties," the three of them said in unison, all dipping down to a final bow or curtsy before they were ushered down the stairs on the other side of the platform.

Positioned in between the two brothers with Charlie in front and Wyatt behind, Alice began to descend the carpeted stairs. Still, before she was completely down, she braved a quick glance behind her. It was just in time to see that although the next family had already been brought forward to greet the royal family, the masked prince was still staring her way. His expression was perfectly relaxed, lazy, even. And when their gazes clashed, those pink lips of his curved upward into a one-sided smile.

Her face showed a little too much surprise even behind the mask she used to hide herself. A short gasp escaped past her lips and within the next second, Wyatt adjusted his steps so that he was wedged right between Alice and the prince, blocking each other from each respective view.

"Look forward, Alice," Wyatt warned in a whisper, his voice low and full of threat despite the serene smile on his face. He looked straight forward, eyes not meeting hers even though he was speaking to her. "It's not good to be too curious."

☆ ☆ ☆

When Alice's feet hit the flat ground of the ballroom once more, she let out a sigh she wasn't even aware she had held. Although it was clearly the same room, the air in the upper deck of the ballroom seemed so much thinner. It was hard for Alice to even breathe properly. Now that she was finally grounded, she could feel the air in her lungs once more. Her heart rate finally slowed down to its usual speed. With a hand pressed against her chest, she felt it slow down beat by beat before the weight in her shoulders was finally lifted.

"Are you feeling alright, Alice?" When she looked up away from the marble floor, Alice met the gaze of Charlie's molten gold eyes. He was so close to her, his face hovering mere inches away from hers that it stunned Alice into silence for a second too long.

She gaped blindly at the teenager before finally snapping back to her senses, blinking wildly before taking a step back, lips still parted.

"Ah," she gasped. She combed a section of her hair behind her ear, nodding with a smile. "Yes, yes. Of course. Why do you ask?"

Charlie pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You didn't look so good up there when we were with the royal family. In fact, you looked as though you would hurl at any given moment," he answered.

"Did I real— ...Was it that obvious?"

"Oh, quite so, I'm afraid." Adjusting the gloves on his hands, Wyatt sighed, his shoulders heaving up and down rather dramatically. "Your face was too easy to read. I'm sure the queen had the most wondrous time evaluating your expressions."

An image of the regal woman flashed in Alice's mind. Hair red as fire and eyes blue like a frozen tundra. She was a picture perfect image of someone else Alice had met that evening. However, could it have been a mere coincidence? Or was she in deep trouble for the way she had spoken earlier?

Doubt was starting to trickle in. If it weren't for the hair and eye color of the prince that stood with the rest of the royal family, he would've been the perfect carbon copy of the man Alice had met in the palace right before the ball. The man that had shown her the palace gardens no longer had his identity kept a secret. Alice was sure that she had already met both of the country's princes already.

Now the question was why didn't Wyatt greet the prince in the garden? Wyatt worked for the crown prince. Why had he pretended that he didn't know the man?

"You're making that face again," Charlie pointed out, frowning.

Warmly, Wyatt added. "My dear Alice, you really have to learn how to mask your emotions, especially in front of these scheming people. Wearing your heart on your sleeve will only get you into a ton of trouble. The other nobles will take advantage of your naivety."

At his brother's words, Charlie nodded furiously to show his agreement.

"And my brother is an expert in that. You'll pick it up in no time," he chirped.

Casting his brother a sideways glance, Wyatt shook his head, rolling his eyes in disappointment. He sighed deeply, eyebrows furrowed as if regretful, taking Alice's hands in his.

"Unfortunately, this is where I'll have to take my leave. There are still things that I must discuss with the crown prince in regards to tonight's matters and they're quite urgent. Both of you, please enjoy the rest of the night. I'll meet with you at the front gates when the ball has ended. And Charlie."

Charlie jumped up in attention when his name was called out, lips pursed. "Yes?" He squeaked.

"This time, make sure you take care of Alice. I don't want a repeat of what happened this afternoon," Wyatt instructed sternly.

"Of course, Brother. I understand."

Tugging Alice closer, Wyatt held Alice's hands close to his chest, clutching them tightly. "Regretfully, I am afraid we'll have to reschedule that promised dance if that's alright with you?"

"We'll have other chances," Alice laughed. "Work comes first."

"I'm eternally grateful that you're as understanding as you are."

Finally releasing Alice's hands, Wyatt stepped away from the two. His figure quickly disappeared through the throngs of people, blending in perfectly until Alice was no longer able to spot his snow-white hair. Her hands still buzzed a little from the warmth that lingered behind from Wyatt's grasp, palms tingling.

"Now that he's gone…" Trailing off, Charlie reached up and rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes darting to look anywhere but at Alice. It grazed over both the ceilings and floors, landing on other party-goers and even the palace staff but he was still unable to meet her eye.

Amused, she tilted her head to a side before prompting, "And?"

"Well…" Gritting his teeth, Charlie's lips tightly pursed together before he flushed bright red like an apple. He squeezed his eyes shut, way more nervous than Alice had ever seen him, before bursting out. "Would you like to dance?"

"Are you sure you want to dance with me? I'm not a very good dancer, you know," Alice warned.

"Yes, I'm sure." Then, in a softer voice that Alice hadn't quite caught, "It has to be you. It can only be you."

"Hmm? What was that?"

"Nothing!" Charlie blurted out. Taking in a deep breath, he extended a hand out for Alice to hold just as the next song started. On the dancefloor, more and more couples paired up for the next dance, swaying lightly to the rhythm with practiced steps. "Shall we?"

Allowing Charlie to lead her, the two walked over to the center of the ballroom where the nobles were. Some were dancing while others watched, a drink in hand and a conversation on their lips. However, all the while, even as she struggled through the steps with Charlie guiding her through the dance, Alice felt the gaze of someone else on her body. It lasted for the entire song, dividing her attention between making sure not to step on Charlie's feet and on the mysterious person that was eyeing her down like a hawk. However, no matter how much she spun around and how much her eyes searched, she couldn't pinpoint where the penetrating stare came from.

Hidden within the shadows and behind the crowd, a man dressed in black and navy watched. Across the ballroom where he stood was another man, one that he had grown up with, dressed in a dapper white and red suit accented with gold, eyes also trained on the girl in a periwinkle gown as she glided across the marble like a fairy in the air.

While the man in white had his undivided attention focused on the dancing girl, the man in black was different. His gaze oscillated between the two people; one he was too familiar with; one he knew absolutely nothing about. A smirk slowly stretched across his lips, lapis lazuli eyes narrowing into slits as a thought flitted into mind.

That girl. She's an interesting one.