Our carriage came to a stop right in front of the stairs that led to the place where the dinner and ball was held. I had been the first to exit, followed by my mother and then father. As usual, my mother and I waited for my father to pass by us and lead the way into the building. My father stopped several times along the way to speak with guests and dignitaries of Drishane. With my mother close to his side, my father answered to many townspeople calling out hisname.
The creepy feeling that I had had since we left Darick Castle had not subsided when we arrived. There was just something in the air. I glanced down at my skin and could see the sheen of dampness on my forearm. I hated the way heavy humidity made me feel, though, I do not think that I have ever felt humidity that was as heavy asthis.
Nonchalantly, I turned to find Klyn. He was a few feet behind me and smiled warmly at me. I looked up in the sky, hoping to see the soft glowing yellow lights from the town against the clouds. All I saw were thick, opaque clouds. At any moment, I expected the sky to open up and drench thetown.
As we approached the entrance, a family with three little girls stood beside the open doors. All three of them were dressed in their best and had clearly been excited to bethere.
“Queen! Queen Althea!” one of them sangout.
“Queenie!” the youngest screeched as the mother took hold of her shoulder to settle herdown.
My mother stopped to say hello to the little girls and the family. I waited silently beside Klyn with a smile plastered to my face. I even made the chuckle that accompanied the, “oh, she is so precious,” comment that nearly everyone had been thinking when the youngest gave my mother a flower of somesort.
“Oh, she is so precious,” I said under my breath and gazed atKlyn.
He cleared his throat, but I could tell that he had found humor in my sarcasticcomment.
“Makes me want to have a whole town full of kids,” my comment was puresarcasm.
“No, Princess Octavia? You do not want children of your own?” Klynasked.
“No, and you must be out of your bloody mind to think otherwise,” I responded in barely awhisper.
“You do not want the children of the town to look up to you and bring you flowers from their garden to show you how much they adore you?” Klyn asked in a serioustone.
I squinted to get a closer look at theflower.
“Flowers, Klyn? My answer is still a solid no. I want no children bringing me flowers from their garden. They can look up to me and adore me from afar, without the supply offlowers.”
I continued to stand there and pretend that this had been the cutest greeting of all tonight. I broke my concentration on the family when I heard a wolf howl in the distance. I turned to look in the direction of the forest that lay just beyond the event building. As the eerie feeling washed over me, I was no longer certain if I would rather be out there getting fucked than inside at the dinner and festival tonight.Perhaps a broom closet with Macauley’s mouth on my clit and fingers in myholes.
And because I had been thinking along those lines, I decided to tease poorKlyn.
“The act of making children sounds much more appealing than actually having children, Klyn. In fact, I could go for taking part in the act of it tonight, rather than being here at the dinner,” I muttered quietly so only Klyn would be able to hear me as we walked into thebuilding.
We were at a safe distance from my parents as they meandered along. When they stopped to speak with another group of people, they were served drinks in gold goblets. I sighed as a goblet of water was placed in myhands.
“Water is very refreshing, especially on this humid evening,” Klyn added as he avoided my earlier comment aboutfucking.
“Yes, the water is marvelous. I am sure it is much better than the ale in your charger or my parent’s,” Iadded.
While I stood with a smile and listened to someone talking to me about bringing in an apothecary, I spotted two people dart out of the side door giggling and groping one another.Lovely.There went two people, off to have fun and a quick fuck in the woods while I am trapped listening about apothecaries and trained mid-wives, or a special children’s wing added to the healthplace.
Dinner soon was announced and Klyn held his arm out for me to wrap my handaround.
“Come, Princess Octavia, I will show you to your seat,” Klyn said with pride. Spoken like a truegentleman.
“How about just the coming part?” I playfullyjabbed.
“Princess, please. Tonight is very important to your parents,” hepleaded.
I decided to give it a rest for the moment. I did not want Klyn to get into trouble. Dinner was as I had expected; dull. After dinner, I was asked to dance by several boys and politely obliged their requests. After the fifth dance, I needed abreak.
“Did the young men wear you down, Octavia?” my father asked as I walked towardthem.
“Hardly,” I murmured but with a smile in case others had been looking. “Father, I am going to step outside for a few moments,” Iadvised.
Something had been on the tip of his tongue but he seemed reluctant to say whatever it was. I raised my eyebrow at him letting him know that if he had something to say to say it because I needed some freshair.
