Even in her absence, the party went on.
I moved through the crowd, hoping to find a dark garnet dress among so much velvet and silk swaying back and forth.
They were still raising their glasses in honor of the union between Jahke and D'Tariel.
Every smiling face made me nauseous. It was as if they were mocking me.
Lianza wasn't in the hall.
I approached Alexia Vane. She was with her two usual friends, fanning herself energetically, her freckles highlighted by her customary blush.
"Lady Vane."
Alexia turned.
"Sir Dariel. Did you get lost at the party?"
"Have you seen Princess D'Tariel? She stepped away a while ago and I can't find her."
Alexia tilted her head, puzzled. To her, fleeing the most important celebration, with the most powerful prince, was simply illogical.
The blonde with braids let out a giggle.
"Looking for your mistress at this hour?" said the black-haired one behind her fan. "How devoted."
"I saw her leave toward the gardens," Alexia intervened with full kindness, ignoring her friends. "But that was a while ago. She hasn't come back in."
"Thank you."
I walked away before the blonde could drop another comment. I noticed Alexia following me with her gaze. Maybe my forced flirtation the other day had more of an effect than I thought.
[👀 Looking for your ex all over the hall? How sweet. How pathe... I mean, how entertaining.]
Could you tell me where she is? I asked the System. I'm starting to fear the worst...
[You suck the fun out of life, Romeo. 🤐]
I closed the notification. I wasn't in the mood to tolerate its jokes.
Frost covered the hedges. The stone paths gleamed under the lamplight.
The cold bit my ears. Distant, but familiar. It reminded me of my Lianza's touch.
I walked every path, every bench, every shadowy corner where a princess suffocated by duty and with a conflicted heart could hide...
Nothing. It was almost impossible to track Lianza at night. While during the day I could guide myself by the coolness her stride left in the hallways, at night everything was cold.
I went back inside. I asked Lord Caspian, who was holding a glass that was too large and too full of wine.
"The D'Tariel?" He let out a laugh, his cheeks red from so much wine. "What does it matter. That idiot Ardwyn beat me to it. Now she must prepare to be his wife. Now you'll have to protect the queen and king, Dog at Her Heels. It should be a great honor for a house like yours."
It wasn't. The image of a whole lifetime watching Lianza with another man, who didn't even love her on top of that, was inconceivable to me. I would rather live a thousand hells before letting that happen.
"Caspian!" a girl behind me shouted, and I flinched. "I told you no more drinks!"
It was Lord Caspian Vereth's little sister.
"B-but Aradia, can't you see the girl I was courting with such dedication has already been claimed? I gave her a whole garden of flowers, but even that wasn't enough..."
Although my priority was finding Lianza, seeing Caspian in that state reminded me I wasn't the only loser tonight.
I took his wine glass and put it on the table. He looked at me oddly.
I gave him two pats on the shoulder and leaned in to speak in his ear, so Aradia wouldn't hear us.
"Do you see those three ladies over there, beneath the painting of the silver-winged, brown-eyed harpy?"
Caspian looked over my shoulder with the greatest stealth his drunkenness would allow.
He nodded.
"Notice the one with freckles. She's quite pretty, isn't she?"
A small, but dopey smile crept onto his face, and he nodded again.
"She loves flowers," I continued. "She frequents the greenhouse to collect leaves she later uses to make tea. I'm sure she would appreciate your gifts, Lord Caspian."
I gave him two more pats on the shoulder to encourage him to walk toward them.
It worked.
Lord Caspian of Vereth adopted his posture with the most regal bearing he could muster, and approached the three ladies.
Aradia looked at me with one eyebrow raised and crossed her arms. She didn't understand how I could do for her brother what she couldn't, and in so few words.
We watched the spectacle.
Caspian bowed, raising a hand toward Lady Alexia of Vane. She covered a small giggle with one hand, offering him the other, which was then kissed with the touch that only the heir to the most beautiful gardens in Earolden could possess.
Her friends behind her exchanged whispers. The blonde one didn't seem to like it. Was she in love with Caspian, perhaps? But the other one loved it: she couldn't stop smiling and leaning into Alexia's ear while giving her little nudges to get her closer to him.
Right then I knew which friend was a good influence, and which one wasn't so much...
It didn't take long for Lord Caspian to bow again and say something to her.
Alexia tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and nodded, her face adorned with a smile.
For some reason, that made me feel proud. Is this how Cupid felt? I see why he never stopped shooting arrows, regardless of the outcome.
"Have you seen Princess D'Tariel, young lady?" I asked Aradia.
"I crossed paths with her in the hallways a while ago," she said. "She told me not to say anything with that voice and Empero so eerie." Aradia rubbed her sides. "But seeing what you've done for my brother... well, I can only tell you she hasn't left the academy. Sorry, Elcronne, and thank you."
Perfect. Although Mayorka was immense, knowing she was still here offered me some relief.
I gave a slight bow.
"To you, young lady. Your information has served me more than you can imagine."
[You know? You could take advantage of being alone at a party full of elegant girls. It's every man's dream. And you waste it looking for someone who dumped you. 😒]
I took a last look at the couple I had formed.
They wouldn't stop whispering to each other. They laughed when they heard each other and kept each other's rhythm while dancing.
No. The System was wrong. Every man's dream is to make the woman he loves happy.
I turned around and walked away, in search of the woman I loved.