Chapter 15:
An Imperial Invitation
CIESTINE AND ANNA-MARIE’S DANCE enraptured its audience, but as they moved, Melody couldn’t help but feel a sense of déjà vu.
Where have I seen these moves before? she wondered.
She couldn’t have witnessed this before, however. This was the first time she’d ever seen the imperial princess, and yet the way she stepped and turned felt oh-so familiar. Try as she might, Melody never managed to place this apparent recollection, and so the dance ended.
“How vexing,” she muttered.
“What is?”
“I’m not sure, but that’s the issue. It feels like there’s a piece of food trapped between my teeth, and I can’t quite get—” Melody yelped shrilly, her voice cracking. She’d forgotten whom she was with.
Lect looked down at her with concern. He stood on her right, while Luciana flanked her on the left. Melody had been whispering with the latter all throughout His Majesty’s address, and the former had made himself practically invisible while they conversed. As a true gentleman ought to, of course. The presence, or lack thereof, of his innards had nothing to do with it.
“Sorry, Lect. I was just thinking. It’s nothing important.”
“No trouble?”
“No trouble.”
None that Melody could place, anyway. As far as she knew, it was a fleeting feeling and nothing more.
“Then, um,” Lect stammered, “would you mind?”
“Mind? Mind what?”
He extended his hand but would not meet her gaze. That, coupled with the gentle music, sparked a realization. He was asking her to dance. Albeit extremely poorly.
“No, I suppose I don’t mind,” she giggled. “But I would prefer a proper invitation. We mustn’t forget our manners, Lect.”
He grimaced. “Would you, Madam Cecilia…care to dance?”
“I’d love to.”
At last, she took his hand. As they made their way to the floor, Melody caught Maxwell in the middle of extending the same invitation to her lady, who was taking it about as well as one might expect.
I can’t do everything for you, my lady. Hang in there!
“Melo—” Luciana choked back the final syllable. “Cecilia! You’re supposed to have my back!”
“I’m afraid that is beyond the scope of my responsibilities.”
Luciana was livid. As soon as the song ended, she marched her fiercely blushing self over and shared a few choice words with her maid, but Melody was unrepentant. Settling her nerves was one thing, but accepting dance offers for her was another matter entirely. Luciana knew this, of course. She was only venting out of embarrassment. All that adorable aggression had to go somewhere.
“I must say, you two practically owned that last song!” Beatrice said.
The others accompanied her.
“They made quite the pair, even when they were dancing with entirely separate partners,” said Luna. “Their matching dresses certainly help. You were like stars compared to all the others.”
“They just might hold a candle to that first dance if they were together,” Milliaria said.
“Wh-why, of course,” Luciana said. “Cecilia and I are the greatest pair to ever grace a ballroom.” She twirled her hair around a finger, as if all of her bluster had abandoned her at once. “According to someone. Probably. I’m sure.”
“You don’t sound convinced,” Beatrice said.
“Anyway, aren’t any of you going to dance?”
Only Melody and Luciana had joined the last song. Beatrice, Milliaria, Luna, and even Celedia hadn’t dared the ballroom floor since arriving.
“That, unfortunately, is up to the whims of my brother, who seems to have come down with a terrible case of wanderlust,” Beatrice grumbled.
“I’m afraid Charles may have passed it on to my cousin, Liber,” Milliaria said. “He’s supposed to be my partner, but I haven’t seen him since he was whisked away.”
Beatrice groaned. “I apologize on my fool of a brother’s behalf.”
“My father is my partner for the night, but he’s gone off to pay his respects and hasn’t returned yet,” Luna said.
“A similar story for you, then?”
“That said, this isn’t like the Spring Ball. Partners are entirely optional. As far as I’ve seen, there are quite a few strays like us, so I don’t particularly mind.”
“That makes sense,” said Melody. “But Lady Celedia, what about you?” The other ladies had excuses, but Celedia’s partner stood right beside her.
Celedia smiled sadly and hung her head. “I, um, can’t. Dance, that is.”
“You can’t dance?”
“As embarrassed as I am to admit it, no. My father only found me little more than a week ago. Before that, I lived as a commoner. Like I said, this is all very new to me.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“I was told he wanted me to have a proper debut before my enrollment at the academy, and I’m grateful to attend such a beautiful event, but it was all I could manage to memorize the rules of etiquette, much less learn to dance.”
“It can’t have been easy to learn all that in so short a time,” Luna said. “It’s certainly not your fault that dancing fell by the wayside. Sir Sable, I take it one of your responsibilities tonight is to field invitations and tactfully turn them down?”
The knight nodded. “There are many ways to respectfully decline. A lady ought never resort to ‘I can’t dance.’”
“I can certainly see how that might reflect poorly on her.”
“What’s more, my health is rather delicate,” Celedia went on. “I’m told it must improve before I even think about dancing.”
“Goodness, you poor thing.” Beatrice frowned at her.
She smiled wistfully. “I would like to dance to at least one song by the next ball. It’s something of a goal of mine.”
“There aren’t any balls in autumn, so your target should be the Winter Ball in December,” Luciana said. “That sounds perfectly achievable to me.”
“I very much hope so.” Another smile. Another twinge of melancholy.
Melody giggled. “Something to look forward to. I may not be there to see it come to fruition, but I’m sure it will be something to witness. I wish you the best.”
The girls’ jaws dropped in unison. Except Luciana’s, that was.
“Cecilia, we won’t see you at the Winter Ball?” Beatrice asked.
“I’m afraid not. I’m a commoner, after all, and it’s only because Lect—er, Sir Lectias happened to need a partner that I was offered the role.”
“Exactly,” Luciana said. “She felt so terrible for the poor man and simply had to come to his rescue. Out of pity. Because he was so miserable.”
“Let’s put a pin in unpacking that phrasing,” Luna said. “Cecilia, did I hear you call Sir Lectias ‘Lect’?”
“Oh, yes,” Melody replied. “How embarrassing. I know how improper it is, but Sir Lectias is a very generous man, and he considers me a friend. I’ve made a point to mind my tongue in public, but it gets away from me at times. My apologies.”
“‘Lect,’” Beatrice repeated.
“‘Happened’ to be in need of a partner,” said Milliaria.
“And he’s a ‘friend,’” said Luna.
The knight suddenly found himself the focal point of three pairs of curious eyes. Posh fans went up to cover each of the ladies’ mouths, but they did little to conceal the conclusions burning in their eyes.
I know this look, Lect thought. I see it in Lady Haumea and Lady Christina’s eyes!
He remembered their torment at the Spring Ball. Girls would be girls. None could resist the sweet scent of a potential romance.
“Cecilia,” Celedia chimed in, “did you come with Sir Lectias tonight against your will?”
“Oh, no. It’s admittedly intimidating to attend such an affair as a lowborn, but so long as it’s for a friend, it’s nothing I can’t endure.”
And it helps that it’s for my lady, Melody added silently. Always a maid first.
“Oh.”
“Lady Celedia?”
The light left her eyes. Due to her poor health, these sudden spells worried the others, but Celedia quickly collected herself. “I apologize if that was a silly question.”
“N-not at all. Are you feeling okay, my lady?”
“I may not last the entire night, but I’ll stay as long as I can. Thank you for your concern.”
“Do take care of yourself.”
There was that sad smile again. Melody returned it with a brighter one.
They continued to chat among themselves for some time, until a guest appeared.
“I see everyone’s here.”
“Lady Anna-Marie!” Luciana said, promptly righting her posture. “Your Highness!”
All of a sudden, the group’s collective height grew as they all straightened.
“Be at ease, friends. We’re here to introduce you to someone very special,” the prince said.
A tall, handsomely beautiful figure appeared behind Christopher. A man at first glance, then a woman at second.
“Greetings,” she said. “Ciestine van Rordpier, second princess of the Empire of Rordpier, and your future schoolmate, at your service.”