“I’ll be there tomorrow, so don’t worry too much.”

“Oh, I can dance with you, teacher. Then, even with magic…” Iris’s face brightened up. With Elaine, she could use magic. She was sure. However, her teacher dismissed the poor student’s hope at once.

“Iris, you’re a queen,” Elaine reminded her. “The king and queen usually dance together and open the ball. It’s an old tradition. Would you, as the Queen, have your first dance with another man in front of the King? Even that crazy woman Rosemary wouldn’t dare try that.”

“Why can’t you dance with me rather?”

“No, the first dance must be with King Sidrain!”

“No, no, no, no!” Iris fell to the ground throwing a tantrum and let out a woeful shriek. Elaine didn’t stop her because he knew she could scream as much as she wanted to, because he had soundproofed the room.

According to Iris’s brief study, all of the kings of the Letaire Empire used the name of the empire as part of their surname. The kings also had letters in between their name and surname, to show their status as being king. The royalty of this country attached ‘En’, and the royalty of the next country attached ‘Se’ to their surnames. There was only one person, the emperor, who could write an empire name without attaching anything. If Sidrain became emperor, his name would then be Sidrain Letaire.

The people were convinced he’d be Sidrain Letaire in a few years. Iris was very afraid of him. A swordmaster who’d slain the dragon, the same man who’d slapped his wife in the face, and now, a man who suddenly acted friendly. She couldn’t understand his behavior.

“I’ll do my best to help, but there’s nothing I can do about this,” Elaine said bitterly. “Get out of there somehow. If you don’t feel right, pretend to be sick. Do you understand?”

It wasn’t difficult to fake an illness, it was just difficult to fake it in this palace. The palace was teeming with skilled courtiers, and they may recognize that Iris was faking being ill. They could also discover that she was using magic, which would make matters worse.

Elaine and she spent the night agonizing, but they couldn’t come up with a clear solution. Finally, he disappeared, and Iris sighed as she sat alone.

It was pitch-dark in her room but she couldn’t sleep, she didn’t know what to do. If she danced incorrectly with the King, everyone would know that she wasn’t a queen. The King would be furious. Haven’t I seen him angry already once? I was terrified! But, she recalled what he’d said while they ate, he’d said she could tell him anything.

What if she told him that she’d forgotten how to dance? Wouldn’t he perhaps listen to her? She wasn’t sure if she should do that. Could she, a member of the tower, say that to the King? She didn’t ask her teacher if she should trust him or not. Unfortunately, the Spring dance was today, and there was no way to ask her teacher now.

It was simple to use magic but there were too many eyes watching her, so she couldn’t risk it, and neither could Elaine. It was safer for them to have as little contact with each other as possible. Iris went back and forth trying to find a solution. She was leaning towards the idea of trusting the King, just this one time.

Suddenly, the door opened. Flowers were brought in the same way as the previous day, and soon the room looked like a fresh new flower garden. Iris watched King Sidrain, who stood with his eyes closed, unlike yesterday. He was as perfect as he was the day before. He had an ancient warrior’s body, his face was elegant and refined. He had red hair that made him look like a fiery man, but his red eyes made him look somewhat beast-like. Many beings seemed to be asleep in his strong, beautifully coordinated body.

“Hello, my Queen. Did you sleep well?” Sidrain had walked over and sat on the bed to talk to her, putting his lips to her hair as if it were a habit.

“I want to tell you a secret,” Iris whispered. Fearing for her safety, this man was the only lifeline for her at this moment. Even if she didn’t want to believe it, even if he was rotten to the core, she had no choice but to tell him right now.

Sidrain looked at Iris, who was trembling slightly and speaking in a squeaky voice. She was talking as if she were offering herself to him and he was very pleased with her attitude. She was lovely, he had to admit. What can’t be done with this new attitude? Furthermore, Sidrain had an idea about what Iris was going to ask him. He hadn’t slept at all last night and neither had Iris. He’d held back a laugh on the roof as he’d overheard her sufferings. Unfortunately, his Queen didn’t know how to dance, and he knew that now.

“Anything, my Lady. It will come true as you wish.” Sidrain took Iris by the hand and kissed the back of it gently as if to reassure her.

***

Some even called it a ‘crazy spring party’. The party seemed to start as per normal and was as perfect as ever. But it did feel comfortable to Rosemary. She was an extraordinary woman in many ways, but she was not the queen of social circles. The party she’d organized was beyond beautiful, and one that was talked about for a long time. Compared to others, it was by far the best.

“You said she wasn’t doing very well?” One of the lady guests commented.

“Did her personality also subside a little when she drank from the Haran’s river?” Another lady said sarcastically. The ladies all laughed and a black fog seemed to rise around them as they covered their mouths with fans and giggled. The gentleman shunned their spouses, mistresses, or first love’s; today the women looked quite scary.