“For the last couple of years, there have been rumours about you. That you’re secretly an omega that your parents are trying to pass off as an alpha. That’s not true, right?” It was said more as a statement than a question.
“No, it’s not. I’m an alpha,” Ryu told her, managing to keep his temper in check. His patience had worn thin in recent months with the media’s constant badgering, and it didn’t help to know that the rumours had managed to cross the ocean, as well.
“Yeah, cool,” Jasmine said, moving on without the slightest hesitation. “But there are people out there who are absolutely convinced that you’re an omega, and they’re just waiting for you to suddenly pop up one day and announce that you’re pregnant, or some shit like that. So my question is this; does that bother you? That some people are hell bent on believing what they want to believe, no matter how often you tell them the truth? I mean, it’s not true, but it’s still there, in your face, and every month some shitty magazine or cheesy talk show is going to drag it up again.”
Ryu sighed, rubbing his hands together to try and keep them warm. It was just one more reason why he should let go of his ridiculous crush on Kentario. If he ever dared get romantically involved with an alpha, the rumours that he was secretly an omega would multiply like wildfire. “The thing about being an omega doesn’t bother me,” he replied to Jasmine’s question. “I mean, not specifically. It’s not true, and that’s not going to change, no matter what people say. It’s more that some people just won’t listen to the truth, no matter how much evidence you give them. They think that we’re secretly drugging our citizens through the water supply, or manufacturing viruses to infect people, or hiding evidence of UFOs. We spend billions on free education and building new universities and people still come up with this crap? It’s all just kind of depressing. Oh, hey, here we go,” he interrupted himself, seeing the priestesses suddenly getting active. “Not too much longer and we’ll be able to go back to the palace where it’s warm.”
The first sliver of the sun crept above the horizon, and simultaneously, a chant rose up from the gathered priestesses. The prayer continued until the lower edge of the flaming ball cleared the horizon, then the priestesses stopped as suddenly as they’d begun, and a tranquil silence settled on the crowd.
A spotlight was turned on, lighting up the podium, and that was Ryu and Jasmine’s cue. “Time to smile for the cameras,” Ryu said through clenched teeth. “Because really, where else would we rather be at five o’clock in the morning?”
In an instant, Jasmine transformed before his eyes. The hunched shoulders relaxed, her head came up, and a serene smile settled on her face. Looking at her now, it was impossible to tell she was freezing cold and wishing she was still in bed. She stepped up to the microphone, looking every bit like the princess she was.
“A new day dawns,” she announced, diving right into the speech, “over Galandeen, and over the world. And a new year begins, under the benevolent gaze of the Goddess Selene…”
Heavens above, she was absolutely amazing, Ryu thought, as he tried to stand up straight, not quite managing to ignore the way the wind blew his hair into his eyes. He brushed it aside discreetly, only to have it blow right back into his face.
But Jasmine looked completely at ease, all traces of sardonic disdain wiped from her voice. Perhaps one day, Ryu would feel as at home in his role as prince as she did as princess.
◊◊◊
Sitting on an elevated platform at the side of the palace’s main courtyard, Ryu found himself actually enjoying this part of the day. It was coming up for six o’clock in the evening, and the vast majority of the day’s events had been completed. The Ceremony of Flowers had been held at the temple, followed by a light lunch of finger food, and then the wedding ceremony, which had gone off without a hitch, despite his mother’s ongoing anxiety about the last minute shoe-ins of the gardener and the housekeeper. In the end, she’d admitted that ‘they looked a very handsome couple’, once they were safely back down the aisle and out of sight.
Now, the famous dance troupe, the Celestial Dragons, were concluding their second dance of the day, which was really little more than a fill-in between the wedding ceremony and dinner. This performance had been called ‘The Grove of Trees’, but in contrast with their earlier dance, which had held a strong sense of peace and tranquillity, this performance had been full of energy, the troupe proving that they were not just amazing dancers, but also talented acrobats. In a flashy finale, three of the young women were thrown into the air, performing a double somersault complete withflowing ribbons in green and lilac, before being deftly caught by six large alphas, and then effortlessly landing in a final pose that seemed to defy gravity.
There was a momentary silence, then the entire courtyard erupted in applause. Breathing hard, the dancers held the pose for long seconds, then the women jumped down, the full line-up taking a bow before filing neatly off the makeshift stage.
“Please put your hands together one more time for the Celestial Dragons!” Lord Nae, one of the more senior nobles, had been invited to be the Master of Ceremonies for the festival, and he strode onto the stage now, wearing a cream suit and a beaming smile. He’d been doing a marvellous job so far, making sure everyone knew what was next on the timetable, where to catch the shuttle buses to and from the temple, and tossing in a few timely compliments towards some of the nobles – most often the ladies in extravagant dresses who were all but begging for attention as the day wore on.
“Ladies and Gentlemen,” Lord Nae said, once the applause settled down. “Please begin making your way towards the gardens at the rear of the palace. Dinner will be served in half an hour, followed by the long awaited ball. I’m sure there are plenty of ladies longing to step out on the dance floor and show off those gorgeous gowns. That’s something to look forward to, so I’ll see you all there at eight o’clock.”
Ryu didn’t bother standing up just yet. Protocol dictated that the royal family, along with their distinguished guests, couldn’t move yet, lest it be interpreted that they’d just taken orders from a man who was inferior to them. Instead, they had to wait around and chat, moving only when it was deemed enough time had passed that it was their own decision to move. The fact that the queen herself had arranged the timetable for the day and coordinated how everyone should move about the palace was irrelevant, and Ryu couldn’t help reflect on the absurdity of the colossal array of customs that dictated his life.
Sadly, the same was not true for the majority of the nobility, and there were a number of young ladies who had not yet found their soulmates who took the opportunity to try and get Ryu’s attention. As he’d mentioned to his mother a few nights ago, the nobility were only interested in following tradition until the Goddess decided to match them up with someone deemed ‘beneath’ them. So despite the fact that the entire country currently expected Ryu to marry his soulmate, a lot of the younger noble women would also have been encouraged to ‘keep their options open’, as it were.
So much for enjoying the day. The first young woman meandered past the stand the royal family were seated on, making a show of tossing her hair and fanning herself with an ornate bamboo and silk fan.
“Oh, Goddess, save me,” Ryu muttered, turning quickly to Jasmine. “Please, talk to me about something. Anything. Just distract me so I don’t have to smile at the women strutting about like prized livestock.”
A satirical grin lit Jasmine’s face, and Ryu immediately braced himself for her response. As much as she’d proven herself to be a like-minded ally throughout the day, she also had a wicked penchant for mischief.
“Oh, that gown is just lovely,” she called loudly, getting the attention of the woman with the fan. “Such a beautiful blue. Your Highness, don’t you think that’s a wonderful gown?”
The woman preened herself as she heard the comment, fluttering both her fan and her eyelashes faster. Noticing the attention she was receiving, one of her competitors immediately hastened over, ‘accidentally’ dropping a handkerchief just in front of the royal stand, so that she had an excuse to stop and make a show of picking it up. Two or three others were hot on her heels, though at the same time, they were trying not to look like they were rushing.
“You areevil,” Ryu hissed at Jasmine, before turning to the woman with the fan. “You look radiant, Miss Dahn,” he said more loudly, then managed not to roll his eyes as the young woman shot her peers a look of smug satisfaction. She strutted away, hips swaying, hair flouncing around her.
“How else are we supposed to keep the evening interesting?” Jasmine asked, not at all put out by Ryu’s complaint.
“Play cards?” Ryu suggested blithely. “Recite lists of my ancestors. Make bets on who’s going to twist their ankle in their high heels? Any one of those would be more interesting than-”
“Oh, by the Goddess, would you look at those shoes!” Jasmine squealed suddenly, pointing at one of the ladies loitering in front of the stand. “They are just gorgeous!”
The lady wearing said shoes smiled coyly, lifting her gown just a fraction higher to reveal a hint of her ankle – a risqué flash of flesh for a social class who were supposed to be the epitome of modesty and decorum.
“Goddess save me from idiots in fancy shoes,” Ryu muttered. The comment got Jasmine’s attention, but not in the way he’d intended.
“What makes you so sure all these women are idiots?” she asked, her tone unruffled, but the question pointed nonetheless. “Some of them have university educations. They could be talented musicians, or artists, or secretly enjoy woodwork or mycology. For all you know, they’re just as tired of keeping up appearances as you are, and they’re only doing this because their parents insist that they try and curry favour with the royal family.”
