Sierra had never seen such an elegant, sophisticated woman in her life. She was nothing like the royals she had met before this point. Alongside the Queen, were four maids assisting her.
"A little theatrical, if you ask me," a male voice chuckled.
Startled, Sierra turned to see a handsome stranger standing next to her. She did not sense his movement at all, or hear his footsteps. It was as if he had appeared out of thin air.
Perplexed by the stranger who had just struck up a conversation with her, Sierra also noticed a sense of familiarity. However, she could not quite pinpoint how.
"Have we met before?" she asked but before the man could reply, Sierra sensed something was amiss.
In a matter of seconds, she felt a shift in the room. It seems like everyone had their eyes on Sierra. Ida, who stood by her side, was trembling with her eyes glued to the ground.
Sierra looked up. Her eyes widened in surprise when she noticed that Queen Roxine was standing before her.
She gave a quick glance to the mysterious man. He was still standing by her side with a grin on his face. Realizing she was in the presence of the Queen, Sierra quickly lowered her head and curtsied.
"Are you enjoying yourself?" the Queen spoke. Her voice was melodious, yet it commanded attention.
Sierra did not dare to look up. As such, she did not know who she was speaking to.
"The Queen is speaking to you, Princess." one of the Queen's maids spoke up.
Sierra shot her head up immediately, surprised. She was certain no one knew of her before this point. So why did the Queen come up to her to speak to her in person?
"Are you mute? The Queen is speaking to you!" the maid asked again, this time sounding a little more impatient.
Realizing she had remained silent, Sierra quickly apologized, "My sincerest apologies, Your Highness. The Ball is most enjoyable."
The Queen did not say another word. She simply smile and nodded before moving away to another table to speak to some other royals. When she left, Sierra let out an audible sight. From the looks of it, Queen Roxin did not look offended by Sierra's actions.
The mysterious masked man, on the other hand, let out a laugh. She had almost forgotten he was there.
"What's so funny?" she asked him before she downed the entire glass of champagne.
It was the only thing that could calm her nerves now.
"That was the most awkward interaction I have ever witnessed," the man chuckled.
Sierra's eyebrow twitched as she placed her empty champagne glass on a passing servant's tray.
"Well, at least I said something. Not like someone else who completely disrespected the Queen. You didn't even bow," she said as she folded her arms.
The man turned to look at her, amused by her statement. He straightened his back to take a good look at her. He was in complete disbelief that she had the audacity to speak to him in such a manner.
"I disrespected her? Do you even know who I am?" he asked as he raised an eyebrow.
Sierra narrowed her eyes. She had no idea who this man was. But one thing she knew for certain, he could not be the King. According to Ida, this ball was organized by Queen Roxine. She wanted to use this opportunity to get to know the princesses and perhaps judge for herself who had the potential to become the King's concubine.
"Unless you're the King," Sierra said sarcastically, "I don't think anyone would have the right to act that way."
The man leaned in close. Their faces were barely inches apart. Sierra felt breathless. At that moment, it was as if time had stopped moving forward. She locked eyes with the mysterious masked man. She gazed into his black pupils while he looked into hers.
"What if I am?" he teased.
Sierra was lost in his eyes. She was certain she had seen them before. It took her a few seconds to register his question. She laughed it off.
"Impossible. You're bluffing," she scoffed.
She could not believe this man would dare to crack such an awful joke! Did he not know the fearsome reputation of King Alistair? He was a fool to joke like this. The man was amused, seeing that she had called him out for bluffing.
But was he really though?
The man played it cool. He held up both hands, surrendering to Sierra.
"You're right. I was bluffing," he confessed. Having broken the ice in their conversation, he introduced himself, "My name is Silas, I'm one of the King's personal bodyguards."
Sierra grinned, celebrating internally that she won and called his bluff.
"What's your name, Your Highness?" he asked with a grin.
"Sierra." she kept her answer short and sweet.
"Sierra..." her name rolled off his tongue like honey. He took Sierra's hand and kissed it gently, "It's an honor to make your acquaintance, Princess Sierra."
Sierra blushed. She quickly removed her hand from his, surprised that he would be so bold. He did not take his eyes off her throughout their entire exchange. How could he be so confident?
"You can drop 'princess'. Just Sierra is fine," she replied as she tucked a loose lock of her hair behind her ear.
"Very well, Sierra, " he said as he glanced over at the royals on the dance floor, then back at her, "How are you liking the castle so far?"
The longer they spoke to one another, the more relaxed Sierra became. But the ballroom was filled with royals looking to dance and mingle. There were too many people for Sierra's liking. She felt as if she was being suffocated in a tight space.
"I'm sorry but I need a bit of fresh air," Sierra excused herself politely.
She had noticed an empty balcony a few moments prior. Not waiting to hear his reply, she made her way towards it. Sierra had made a fatal mistake. If she had been more aware of her surroundings, she would have noticed Princess Agnes in the background.
She remembered how Sierra had ignored her earlier that day. Ever since then, she had been looking for the perfect opportunity to get back at her. Seeing as Sierra was distracted, the opportunity had presented itself.
She put her foot out as Sierra walked by here. Distracted, Sierra did not notice it at all. She tripped on Princess Agnes's foot. Everything happened so quickly, Sierra was at a loss.
One moment, she could feel herself falling forward. She knew she was about to faceplant onto the marble floor. There was nothing she could do to break her fall. She was going to be embarrassed and potentially sprain her ankle.
But none of that happened.