After Iris had rejected him, Sidrain merely replied, “I can’t do that. You are my queen. Any extravagant flavor in the world is yours if you want it.”

I’m done with the fragrance talk, and I’d like you to move away. It was Iris’s misfortune not to be able to say so out loud.

Sidrain watched Iris eat with delight, barely touching his meal. She became anxious and looked at her plate, concentrating on the meal before her, only.

“My Queen.”

I don’t know why his fragrance is so sweet. Iris decided to stay alert. The King made her feel uncomfortable. She was a woman of the tower and the King was a natural enemy to her. “Yes?” she replied warily.

“Do you know how to ride a horse?”

“Does Your Highness have a fever today?”

The servants looked at Sidrain in disbelief. Of course, Rosemary knew how to ride a horse. She was a queen. No matter how crazy she was, she had every basic skill that a queen was required to have. If she didn’t know how to ride a horse, she couldn’t have become a queen! Why did the person who should know her the best, ask something as ridiculous as that?

She thought it might be a trap. Was he using his good looks to charm her, because he wanted to get a divorce? Does Rosemary know how to ride a horse? Is this a test? Iris didn’t know what to answer and stared at him blankly.

Sidrain smiled gently at her, wondering why she didn’t answer him. He wanted to be nice to Iris, but she looked so scared. He had never seduced a woman, so he didn’t know the art of seduction. He was just asking what he wanted to know now and he genuinely wanted to be kind to Iris. He wanted to kiss her hair and inhale her body’s scent, and whisper sweet nothings in her ear; he would do as he pleased.

“The doctor said I might get some things confused. You know, the Haran’s river is very strong,” Iris finally replied.

“Is that right?”

Iris’s eyes sparkled. Barely able to hold himself back, as he looked at her innocent eyes that seemed to make him laugh, Sidrain responded seriously, “Yes, but this is a secret. It’s not good for others to know that the Queen has some memory loss. You know what I mean, my Queen.”

Of course, other people shouldn’t know, Iris thought as she nodded her head in agreement. But it was a relief, as she now had an excuse for her sometimes different behaviors to Rosemary’s.

Sidrain saw the rosy flush on Iris’s cheeks and couldn’t stand it any longer. No, there was no reason to put up with it. He was her husband and she was his spouse. Theoretically, she was a completely different person though, so even if a deeper relationship had to be agreed upon, she would still look like this person who sat in front of him now. Sidrain lifted Iris’s chin with one strong finger and kissed her on the cheek. He felt her body tremble slightly.

He’d only put his lips on her cheek, and it felt as if they were kissing. Iris couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to kiss him properly.

“My Queen, I am your knight, you can always tell me a secret,” Sidrain whispered in Iris’s ear. She cringed, and he wasn’t sure whether she was itchy or if she felt uneasy. “Now, answer me. Can you ride a horse?” Iris glanced up at him and Sidrain could feel her blue eyes sizing him up.

She wondered if she could trust him and whether or not he meant what he said. She had to believe in herself and follow her gut instinct. This palace was such a checkered place and she needed to trust someone other than her teacher, who only visited her in the middle of the night, and couldn’t protect her properly. But what about herself? She was the legitimate spouse of the best knight in the country and the king of this country. She dared not compare him to her teacher openly.

“I think I was able to ride,” Iris answered carefully.

Sidrain smiled fondly at her words, “Then I’ll ask the merchants to pick it up.”

Iris had no idea what he meant by that.

***

Iris didn’t have time to ponder about what Sidrain had meant. She had another hurdle to overcome, the Spring ball. She could ride a horse but she couldn’t dance! Elaine, her teacher, had perfect dancing skills, just like a man raised in a noble family. But it was impossible to teach a pupil, who had two left feet and no rhythm, to dance correctly in three nights.

“Iris, you know so many tricks of the trade and have so many skills, but none of them seem to be dancing,” Elaine said, sounding quite concerned. “The Spring ball is tomorrow.”

“Teacher, what do I do tomorrow?” Iris stuttered with sadness in her eyes. It would be great to be able to make shoes that danced for her, using magic, but there were many problems with that. First of all, Iris didn’t get to choose the shoes she’d wear. Secondly, there were several different dances. If she was dancing alone she could make a formula, but this dancing at the ball was done by two people. Thirdly, unless she knew who her partner was, no matter how well she danced with magic, she wouldn’t be able to anticipate her partner’s moves. It was impossible.