"You pulled another Anna tonight," the empress scolded her son. Her lean figure stood near him, watching over the letter he was drafting.
"Yeah, so?" Neal shrugged. His chair faced the window and he could see the late night sky out of it. A wooden desk sat between the window and the chair, carrying an ink holder and the letter that was so urgent that its writing couldn't be delayed till the morning.
"These schemes will result in nothing." Empress Natasha crossed her arms across her chest as she walked about the room.
Neal put the quill down. "I'm not trying to achieve anything." He turned to face his mother with his usual smile. "I only invited Sophia so she could get a little knowledge about the human culture."
Natasha hated that smile, and Neal knew that. She shook her head disapprovingly. "So we have another curious person amongst us."
"It was just for preparation," Neal said. "She is to join the guardians." He went back to his letter.
"To replace Commander Brones?"
Neal nodded.
"What's her full name?"
"Sophia Antofurota," Neal replied with a smile. Just like his true intentions, his smile was hidden from his mother.
"She is the one who fought alongside you?" Natasha was grateful to the girl for saving Neal's life. Unlike him, she knew exactly who Sophie was to the king.
"Uh huh," Neal said without looking up from his letter.
After watching him in silence for a few minutes, she said, "You know I'm proud of you? After all your tricks and schemes."
"That's sudden," Neal said. "I know that. I'm proud of you too." He added privately, "After all your tricks and schemes."
"Sometimes I think I did wrong by you," she whispered. It was not a fact that Neal would let her forget, even though he would not say anything expressly.
"Yes you did," Neal said. This direct attack pierced Natasha's heart. Neal looked at her and smiled again, as if there was indeed a loving bond between the two of them. "You have spoiled me too much. Sia would vouch for that."
The empress knew that neither the smile nor the praise was genuine but she settled for it. Neal's true feelings were not a mystery to her. "Speaking of Princess Sia," Natasha remembered the blunder Sia had caused as Annabella. "Miss Antofurota did a much better job than her. The only reason I could spot the starlite was that I did not recognise her."
Neal chuckled, "Anyone would do a better job than Sia." He imitated Sia's soft voice, "Why would I take horses to travel? They are quite heavy."
Her eyes crinkled. "I liked the stairs part better."
The empress sighed at the thought that if someone was to observe the two of them, he would be fooled into thinking that Neal loved his mother. But the empress knew it to be impossible. Neal hated her. His smiles, fake and laced with a sarcasm so subtle only a mother could understand it, were a way to torture her. Natasha was an expert on lies and knew the bitterness hiding behind Neal's cheerful smiles.
"All done," Neal announced as he fastened the lid on the ink bottle. "Finally we can go and sleep." Neal had no intention of sleeping. He was dying to hold his paint brush.
Meanwhile on a higher altitude, Sia too was having thoughts about her night as Annabella, but with emotions contrasting to those that were being expressed on the ground. It had been the longest evening of her life. She had made a complete fool of herself and had decided that humans and starlites were two opposite poles. Sia liked to think that she had grown since then and now she knew better than to think the two races could live in seclusion.
It was way past midnight and Sophie's absence made Sia nervous. She hoped that Sophie did not have a regrettable experience. A knock on the window gave her relief. Sophie was hovering outside, still in her blue ball gown. Sia opened the window.
"It's freezing out here. I should have taken my coat," Sophie said as she entered the castle. "Give me my clothes. I need some fur and some food. I'm freezing and starving."
"There." Sia pointed towards the pile of clothes Sophie had left behind. "I think I have some food here." She also threw a blanket near Sophie.
"Here's the dress back for Vega. I have no idea how much to pay for it," Sophie said as she handed the dress back to the princess. "Can you ask her?"
Sia dodged the question. She knew Sophie wouldn't be paying anything for the dress.
"God, you are starving!" Sia exclaimed on seeing Sophie attack the plate of food.
Sophie gulped the dish that she was chewing. "I have eaten nothing since lunch."
Sia cringed. "The food was bad?"
"Did not see it," she replied, still busy with devouring a rice cake. "It was on the first floor."
Sia's eyes gleamed with hope. "And you were sceptical about the stairs?"
"I did not want to go alone. You know the host cannot eat at the balls. And you said I should not let him ditch me," Sophie said with urgency and stuffed a handful of bread in her mouth.
"And why are you so late?" Sia said, hiding her disappointment. "I told you to come here directly."
Sophie furrowed her brows and gulped. "But I did come here directly," she retorted.
"Wasn't the ball supposed to end at midnight?"
"Yes." Sophie didn't look up from the plate.
Sia waved her hand. "The sun will be coming up in a couple of minutes."
"Really?" Sophie's lips twisted. "Time does fly by."
"So you enjoyed yourself?"
"It was okay. I didn't get as tired as we are used to get at a ball. That must be the reason." Sophie shrugged, "Do you have any starberries?"
"What kind of friend would I be if I didn't?" Sia smiled. Everyone in the castle knew how much Sophie loved the fruit.
"A very bad one," Sophie replied.
"So did anyone catch you? Notice you?" Sia asked handing her a bowl of berries.
"I don't think so," she said, "But I did not talk to anyone. If anybody had any doubts, I suppose they kept it to themselves."
"So what exactly did you do?" Sia asked, "If you didn't eat or talk to anybody."
"Exactly what you told me to do."
"And what was that?"
"I was dancing with the prince." A smile spread over her face. "Human dancing is so easy and fun; we can do it all day without getting exhausted." She stretched her arms.
"You look sleepy," Sia said. "Tell me one last thing. What have you decided about the job?"
"I'm taking it."
"Superb," Sia clapped her hands.
After Sophie was gone, Sia covered herself in a woollen cloak and left the castle with Sophie's gown.
Sia knocked at the topmost window of the northern tower of the human castle. She knew it to be Neal's room. Neal opened the window.
"I was just about to sleep," he complained. It was lucky that he was done with his painting.
"I promised myself that I'll make you pay for this," she shoved the dress through the window into Neal's hands.
"You came all the way here at first light, just to make me pay. I'll have to ask your father to increase your allowance. How much did Vega charge? Twelve golds?" Neal mocked her.
"Pay me in truth," Sia demanded. The fact that Neal had guessed the price correctly frustrated her. It proved what she had already suspected for long.
"At least come in," Neal urged. Sia came inside and he asked, "What do you want to know?"
"Why were you at the waterfall?"
"It's nothing like that," he sighed looking at her creased forehead. Neal pointed his finger at her. "And don't you go ratting on me."
"I will if I think it necessary. " Sia licked her lips.
"Sia, you worry too much."
"It's not baseless," she argued.
His jaw clenched. "I am not suicidal."
"Aha!" Sia smiled in victory, "I had not said anything about suicide."
Neal rubbed his temples in defeat. "What do you want?"
"Tell me what happened last night," Sia commanded, "And don't you dare lie."
"You are the only person to whom I never lie." He looked in her eyes and told her the truth, almost all of it.
"Your secret is safe with me. And don't worry about Sophie, she won't tell a soul. She did not even tell me anything," Sia said reassuring him.
His eyes widened. "Then how did you know?"
"Sophie says she is going to the Crescent and returns with a note from you. How hard is it to deduce the rest?"
"I could have been taking a walk."
"And I could have been wrong," She said with her hands on her hips, "But here we are."
"So what am I supposed to do with this?" Neal pointed at the dress.
"The next time, if you want an Anna," Sia said, "wear the dress yourself."
Neal cringed his nose. "Too short."
"Well, at least Sophie had a better experience than me."
"You are never going to forgive me for that?" He bit into his upper lip.
"I forgave you long ago," Sia said. "If only I could forget the embarrassment that easily."
"Had anyone even guessed your true identity?" Neal said, "I think all the humans have forgotten that decade old event."
"You think too much."
"I have been told that." He smiled.
"It gives me shivers when I think what can be going inside that evil brain of yours."
"You would have people believe I'm a dark spirit sent from hell," he complained.
"And you would have them believe you are a white spirit sent from up above."
"I may be," he said, "for all you know."
Sia yawned. "Well, I better get going."
Sia was able to sleep through the day after reaching her castle, but Neal was too excited to sleep. He knew that his urgent letter would be soon reaching Peshtim. Neal wasn't going to marry the Peshtim Princess, but that didn't mean nobody else could get married.
Sophie got into her bed as the sun arrived. Still she wished that the ball had lasted a bit longer. At the starlite balls, she was always among the last ones to leave. Starlite or human, most people her age wanted prolonged festivities. The ball was no different.
Among the many humans who wished that the ball would have lasted longer, were girls and women who had hoped in vain to get a dance with the prince. Nobody knew the girl in the blue gown, but everyone applauded her luck. Even if it was only for one night, she had caught the prince's eye. Nobody had thought that she had captured his heart as well.
There were also a bunch of people who thought that the ball went too long. This group comprised of the elders, the people who could not or would not dance, the guests who could not or would not enjoy the marvellous feast, the people who preferred the peace and quiet of their homes to the spectacle and liveliness of the ball and the people who loved to dislike anything. Some of them did not wait to see the end of it while some dutifully remained till the event ceded.
Empress Natasha did not fancy herself to be in either of the two groups. She had learned to be satisfied with whatever she had. Her philosophy was to choose to be happy rather than depend on anything or anyone for her happiness. She was content with the length of the ball even though it had lasted longer than planned. The ball had been a success, everybody had like the food and arrangements, as far as she could tell. She was happy, the guests had been as happy as could be expected and she had spotted one of the rarer genuine smile on her son's face.
She hoped to see that smile or a more regular basis, even if the cost was a few shenanigans.