Or at least, there had to be a sort of freedom in knowing everyone that looked towards them as they walked into the ballroom. Ashley hated the fact that she could identify each piece of dragon nobility by how garish and elaborate their dress was. They all glittered like diamonds, lending credence to the idea that dragons truly were greedy, and she feared for a moment that she would be like the rest of them someday. Could it be that someday she would lose herself while she was with Alexander, and she would become blind just like everyone else?
But then, she saw Alexander amongst the crowd, and suddenly, she felt like she had the strength to keep going forward.
He smiled toward Ashley, and she smiled slightly in return as her brother led her down the stairs. They were moving closer to Alexander, her heartbeat thrumming in her ears with each step. Of course, he couldn’t take her hand, and he couldn’t be seen with her yet, but she promised herself that the two of them would soon be together. For one delusional moment, Ashley imagined a world where she could take his hand right then and there and dance with him, just dance, nothing more. And just like that, her delusion came crashing down.
“Ashley, this is Edmund,” her brother said as he introduced her to someone and looked at her with expectant eyes, like she was meant to give this man the most beautiful smile in the world. Ashley tried to, she really did. Still, she winced, hearing the fact that this was Edmund. Okay, he was young, handsome, and obviously fit, but what she didn’t expect was exactly where Edmund was from.
Ashley’s eyes traced down the front of his uniform, and it was as she was taking in all his finery, that she realized that he was the Ruby King, the one who had come to replace Jack. All of the red gems sparkled on his clothing and reassured her of that fact, making it undeniable. This was Jack’s replacement. And she wassupposed to look at him with some sort of happiness in her eyes, considering how her brother shone beside her, practically glowing as he encouraged his sister, with a nod, to offer her hand to Edmund.
Ashley did as she was instructed, gently placing her hand on Edmund’s. Still, she recoiled the moment that she felt his lips touch the back of her hand, disliking the way his hand wrapped around hers. His hand was far too sweaty and everything about the man just made her feel sick. There was a glint in Edmund’s eyes that wasn’t like Jack’s at all. It was devious, slightly concerning in its own way. She couldn’t deny the fact that there was a lot of resemblance between Jack and Edmund, especially once he stepped back. She was allowed a good look at him.
He had the same dark hair, the same bone structure, and the same devious smile. His eyes were bright blue, different from Jack’s, but there was something in them that hinted that he would do anything to get what he wanted, a trait that Jack also shared. But the look came off as cruel in Edmunds eyes, a trait that Ashley couldn’t deny that she sort of was afraid of.
There was also his way of holding himself, his back straight, his eyes perceptive, and this sort of come-hither glance that probably worked on just about every other woman in the room who wasn’t currently obsessed with a butler. Ashley wondered if this man was used to being turned down. It didn’t seem like he had had the right amount of rejection in his life. She hoped that she would be able to be the first one.
“Will you dance with me?” Edmund asked, his voice low and seductive, practically dripping with fine brandy that one could taste in the air, Ashley would have wanted nothing more than to reject him, but of course, her brother had to perk up at her side.
“She would love to,” Valys answered for her, making one thing clear. She would do exactly as he wanted her to do. The look he gave her told her she owed him. She’d like to tell himwhere he could shove that debt, but she had to play nice. She had to lull them all into thinking she’d finally given up. Then she’d vanish.
Edmund obviously decided that Val’s acceptance was enough, and he nodded, holding his hand out once more for her to take and greeted her with the slightest raise of his brow as she took a little too long. He seemed surprised by the fact that she did not jump out of her seat to touch him immediately. Ashley felt slightly insulted. It’s exactly the kind of guy he was and what kind of girl he thought she was. In Tennessee, she would have had a few words for him. But she unfortunately lived in butt-fuck nowhere, the land of opals or some bullshit. She took his hand, allowing her smaller one to fit into his and him to lead her into a dance.
Or at least try to lead her into a dance. Unfortunately for him, Ashley wasn’t a dancer. Never had been. Well, line dancing has always won over folks in Tennessee, but not here.
Edmund seemed to wince when he realized that the girl he was dancing with wasn’t exactly the gentle flower he was thinking of. The moment that Ashley had begun to dance, she had pretty much started trotting all over his feet. Not on purpose, she definitely wasn’t that rude, but by accident. She had no idea what to do with her body, or how to do anything but sway. She might have made it an uncomfortable affair, but the moment he realized that he wasn’t getting what he wanted, he decided that he would grunt in her ear, which made her blood freeze.
“I suppose you are aware of the fact that your mate is here tonight,” Edmund said, reminding her that there was a mate in question and that it was very likely that whoever this Diamond King was, he wouldn’t let her go without a fight.
“Of course, he’s watching me with slitted eyes,” Edmund seemed incapable of helping himself as he pointed out that littledetail, reminding Ashley of the fact that whoever this man was, the Diamond King, he was undoubtedly angry in his own way for being denied his mate for so long. And, if she had to guess, he likely wouldn’t take too kindly to the news that she was planning to run off with a butler that she hardly knew.
But when Edmund turned her, Ashley was hardly able to focus on anyone but Alexander, her eyes coming back to him time and time again. If anyone else was looking at her, she was incapable of knowing. She found herself so completely and utterly consumed with the devotion of that man, and the way that he looked at the man in her arms with distaste. He must know the same thing that she did. This oaf leading her in this awful dance had only succeeded to the throne because he was willing to do things that Jack hadn’t been willing to do. He was willing to sell himself, to mate himself off to whoever would get him the most reward. Ashley had to remind herself at the end of the day that whoever Edmund was, he wasn’t a savory character.
And then, of course, the moment that she had come to terms with that news, Edmund decided to hand her off, bringing Ashley to the next potential suitor. This one was decked out in sapphires, obviously the sapphire dragon. There was a certain aquatic motif to every bit of his clothing, reassuring her that whoever he was, whatever he was up to, he was the sort of man who spent most of his time at the ocean. Ashley was sure she could have appreciated him and his quiet, shy demeanor had she not met Alexander.
But still, she found herself taking his hand into hers and moving obediently with him, having picked up a little bit more of how to dance. She took the opportunity to look at the sapphire dragon with impressed eyes and compliment him.
“You are far more patient than Edmund was,” she said, raising an eyebrow, and the sapphire dragon laughed, unable to stop himself as they moved with the crowd.
“I’m River,” he said, and it was such a stereotypical name that Ashley had the urge to laugh again, a fact that seemed to delight the man.
“I’m glad you find humor in it because it has bothered me for years, and it’s nice to meet someone who actually has a sense of humor in this place,” River proclaimed, practically gleaming as he looked down at her, and for a moment, Ashley imagined a world in which she stayed, in which she and River came to be friends. It wasn’t a huge leap to imagine her having a friend like him, who laughed easily but struggled to speak to other people.
It wasn’t that hard to imagine having a life where she stayed in the palace. If only she had been allowed what she wanted, the one person that she desired, but unfortunately, life hadn’t been kind. She wasn’t going to change her mind, because she’d decided that she wanted to be someone else, the person that she had been before. She would be that strong young woman again and she’d find a way to free Ned. If Ned let him live after her betrayal. Lost in a daze, she wasn’t paying attention when River handed her off to her brother, leaving her to confront him alone.
There was a certain stiffness to Val’s every action, as if he was the one who didn’t know how to dance, though Ashley was well aware that that was impossible. After all, he was the sort of guy who had spent almost every day being prepared for his life. From what she knew of their father, she was sure the man expected perfection from his son in all ways because he had been bold enough to discard his daughter. A daughter who supposedly was the subject of a prophecy, but who wasn’t magically inclined.
Still, she couldn’t exactly sniff out what was wrong with her brother as she danced with him, just that he was stiff and unlike himself. Every single movement he made seemed dragged out. His whole body was on the alert. And yet, finally, he decided to let go of her, taking a look at her with nothing but regret in his eyes as he backed away. And then, even though he had dancedwith her for one song, her brother ran. She had no idea why he ran. But it seemed he couldn’t be in the same space as her.
It must have something to do with the Diamond Dragon, whoever he was. He was watching her, and something about him, about how he looked at everyone, was scaring people and made them willing to give her up. This meant that things were probably bad for Alexander, but she had probably doomed him with her love. But still, she dared to dream of another world, of another life. And she dared a lot, as she turned back to the crowds and avoided hand after hand that was stuck out in her direction, to look for Alexander, willing herself to find him and tell him of her plan.
But of course, the moment she found Alexander, he was at the edge of the hedge maze where he had left her that first time, looking every bit like a dream. Ashley couldn’t help herself. She began walking towards him slowly, feeling like she was in a dream, feeling like none of it was real, like he couldn’t be real, and she would wake up at any moment.
Chapter
Twenty-Four
If she were a normal person, this would likely be the moment that 1000 red flags began to throw themselves up in the back of her mind, making her aware that people didn’t just hang out outside of mazes. However, Ashley didn’t consider herself to be a normal person. She tended to hope for the best, which might be a flaw, but she hated always being negative.
She also happened to be a closet romantic, and when it came to Alexander, she wanted to be a romantic more than anything. Because there was something about him, about this handsome man in particular, that made you want to trust him. She wanted to trust him with just about every ounce of her body. Which was why, although her brother’s voice dully chimed in the back of her mind, she ignored it and stepped out onto the steps that led to the maze, ignoring the party that was roaring behind her. All she had eyes for was Alexander and Alexander alone. She could feel her heartbeat thump. But, more than that, she could feel every part of her body magnetically drawn to him, every step drawing her closer and closer to him.
