Moonlight Ball - Chapter 63

Elaine laughed when Iris spoke. Even though he was angry, the student in his arms cared about him more than anyone else. It was instinctive.

“Hey,” he placed his hand on Iris’ back. “Do you think I’m not angry?”

Her eyes grew wide with fear and anxiety. He noticed, but didn’t say a thing.

Elaine took a moment to introspect. Iris didn’t know a thing. It was purely instinctive behaviour. She acted like that because it was right to help and act fair towards those she felt sorry for. She wasn’t even well versed in politics. But she wasn’t to blame. He did this to her. He raised her that way. He had to, and a small part of him regretted it. He was 23 when he realised that Iris was too ignorant of reality. ‘Princess of the Magic Tower’, they called her.

Bang!

The king’s sword flew off and struck a painting on the wall. The calm background music came to a sudden stop. Elaine released Iris from his magical control. She stumbled but the king swiftly and lightly caught her before her body touched the floor.

“There’s a rat in my palace!”

It was evident that the Sidrain was livid, and, with all intents and purposes, he meant to kill this rat. His face showed no intention of going easy on him. Iris was a queen, and was now favoured by the king. Everyone knew that. So how dare this man lay his hand on her? Such a rat deserved to die. Sidrain already warned everyone that if they so much as touch the queen during the party, the only way out would be a direct duel with the king himself.

Iris was shivering in his arms quite like a leaf. This was unusual, a simple glance at her would tell that something was off. She’d never tremble this much – at least not when she’s almost committed a crime against a man she barely knew.

“Well, well, Your Grace.”

“No, let go of your anger…” Iris tried sounding out her voice but she was too nervous. “Please…”

Her white hands, holding Sidrain’s shirt, were paler than usual. His pulse grew quicker. He knew who the man in the mask was. Elaine Rossi, her teacher – the only person Iris valued more than herself, and she was about to beg for her teacher’s life to be spared.

“My Lady, what should I do with you?”

“Whatever you like. But you must spare him. He meant to do no harm,” she begged.

“Is that why you’re shaking, you are afraid that I was going to duel with him?”

She nodded her head ever so slightly. The shivering still persistent.

“Then there is nothing to fear. If that is what you want, then he doesn’t have to die tonight.”

She lifted up her head until she could see his face, then whispered, “Thank you.”

He held her tight in his arms until the shaking subsided.

“It’s okay, no one will harm you. No one can hurt you. Not while I’m here. I’ll make sure of it. So, just relax.”

She closed her eyes and immersed herself in her arms. She felt safe. At first, she thought he was a strange and scary man, but after living with him for a while, she began to grow fond of him.

She knew he loved her more than anything, and would do anything to make her happy, even though many a times she went behind his back.

‘If he loves Rosemary, then he deserves to know what happened to her. He is her spouse and lover… even if something should go wrong, I’m still obliged to tell him the truth…’ Iris thought.

But something was amiss. Rosemary requested to meet with Iris and asked for poison. She was plotting treason, and having an affair outside the court. Iris couldn’t wrap her head around it. The king still loved Rosemary even though she once tried to kill him. How much of a fool was he?

She looked up at him, still encumbered in his arms, “Everything’s Ok, right?”

He hugged her again, not knowing what she was thinking. His servants were secretly aiding his wife to commit treason. She wrinkled her face even more, blinking her blue tear-filled eyes, now akin to the sea. She didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t just tell him. How was she to explain it? Just the sheer thought of seeing him heartbroken made her feel like crying. All she could do for now was hug him.

Sidrain was surprised by this. This was the first time she hugged him since the sausage chopping incident. Her voluptuous breasts gently pressed against his body. Her scent made him ecstatic. She was a woman, there was no denying it.

Gently, he lifted up her chin. He couldn’t believe it but here she was, Iris Elaine, his first love.

“What’s… going on?” Elaine, stunned, slurped out the words without knowing. In fact, he shouldn’t have been there. The royals did not send any invitation to the Magic Tower.

It was surreal. Iris, his disciple, was hugging the king right in front of him!

“Fuck off!” The king commanded.

There was a strange feeling around the room. Knowing the king’s personality, Elaine knew that the king could have killed him without a second thought. But he didn’t, at least, not for now. ‘It’s bound to happen sooner or later,’ Elaine thought.

“So, you’ll just let me off this easily?”

“Didn’t I just tell you to fuck off?” The king was trying to remain calm in front of Iris.

The guards came running. They all drew their swords at Elaine. He pulled out his in response. He could have taken them all out if he wanted to, but not in front of Iris. Not while she was in Sidrain’s arms. He was forced to step down. The guards forcefully held him and dragged him out of the room.

Worried, Iris asked, “Will… will he be taken to the dungeon?”

“No.” Sidrain looked down at her and said, “He’s just being kicked out. If I send him there, then my lady’s tears won’t dry up. Isn’t that right, Ris?”

Her eyes widened in surprise. ‘I-Ris? Did he just call me Ris? Or Iris? Is it possible that he knows who I am?’ Her pulse grew quicker.

Did he find out? How?

She looked up at him inquisitively.

“You don’t remember? I used to call you that since you were a child, Rosemary. My nickname for you was Ris.”

Rosemary’s nickname wasn’t Rose, nor Marie, but was Ris?

Iris was naïve, but she was, by no means, an idiot. She looked up at Sidrain again, and asked, “Remember?”

She tried shaking her head, but she couldn’t say she couldn’t remember.

Suddenly, he remembered something else, “But I didn’t love my queen until a month ago.”

‘Not until a month ago,’ the words echoed in her mind. This means he knew who she was.

But, if he knew everything, and, if the queen he loved wasn’t Rosemary, then, “Wh… Why me?”