ALYSSA
—He is Prince Einar of Kastoria.
—Princess —He bows.
—Prince Einar, she is Princess Alyssa of Corfu —I curtsy back with a faint smile; He's one of the suitors I didn't know yet.
—I dare to say that you are a very beautiful person, princess. —He asks for my hand, and I offer it; He kisses her gently and that only causes my face to erupt.
—I thank you very much, Prince Einar. —We smile.
My fourth suitor. It looks more handsome than in the photo. In his information they detailed his height, and he did not appear to be tall, he is even shorter than the first suitor I met this morning, but I did not feel that small next to him.
—Prince, do you fancy a drink or a dessert? —Greta asks.
—A dessert is fine, thank you. —He smiles, he has nice teeth. Greta curtsies and leaves to bring what he requested—. Princess, you can just tell me Einar, you don't need to use the title with me. You can also talk to me informally.
—Okay, I appreciate it —We smiled—. Did you enjoy the event?
—Totally. I arrived yesterday afternoon, I had the opportunity to make friends ever since. I also enjoyed the event, sharing with these people who need our help, they are very friendly. —Smiles—. What about you, princess?
—Oh, you can also talk to me informally. —I offer and the nerves gradually calm down—. And I've enjoyed it too. The morning events were my favorite.
—I had the opportunity to see you early, but I didn't have the courage to talk to you, until now.
—Really? You should have come closer; I don't usually bite new people —I joke and laugh. My assistant arrives with a dessert for the prince, it's a piece of cake that looks appetizing. She retires and I am again alone with the prince.
—I wanted to do it, but, to tell you the truth, I'm very shy.
—Well, you don't look like it, you look like someone fresh right now.
—I try to be in front of you because I don't want to give you a bad impression. —Smiles; My pulse increases as does my hunger as I watch him take the first bite—. Wow, this tastes delicious.
—Good to know —He nods.
—Haven't you tried them?
—No, I haven't had the joy yet.
—... Don't tell me you're on a diet —he jokes, and we laugh.
—Something like that.
—Try a little. —He takes some with his fork and offers it to me—. It tastes delicious.
—I thank you, but I don't want to bother and_
—Not at all. —He smiles again—. It would be an honor for me to give you a taste of my dessert.
I hesitate for a few seconds, I want to try it, but not his because that would cause comments that I do not want to have, and I know that there are people watching us.
—I better request one but thank you.
—Come on, I won't bite you because you eat mine. —We laugh and my cheeks burn when he brings his fork to my mouth.
—Princess Alyssa. —I turn to my left and recognize the little one from noon. I thank him internally for the life float he just threw at me.
—Prince Ivar, what an honor to meet you again. I didn't think I'd see you around here. —We greet each other with reverence and gave each other a smile; He is a sweet guy of about 12 years old, he was very nice to me at the first meeting and spoke to me as if we had known each other for a long time.
—It wasn't going to be a party if I didn't attend. —He smiles and details the man in front of me who has lowered his fork—. Good evening, sorry for the interruption.
—Not at all, little one, we were just talking.
—Ivar, he is Prince Einar of Kastoria —I introduce him.
—Kastoria... interesting. Good to meet you, honorable gentleman.
—It's also a pleasure... Sorry, sometimes I have a tough time remembering names.
—Prince Ivar of Lundy. —Offers him his hand and he shakes it.
Lundy? He didn't mention his kingdom to me the first time. Then...
—Lundy... are you Prince Aren's younger brother?
—Sure enough, I'm that one. —They smile and my spirit leaves the body with such data—. Surely, you already met him.
—Yes, I had the opportunity to do it before noon with my younger sister, although we only greeted each other, we did not talk.
In their personal information, the attendants did not mention that Einar had a younger sister. They also didn't mention that Prince Aren had a younger brother, the last time I met him he was an only child. Ivar was certainly not even in plans to be born. The data they ignored were important.
—You have a great brother.
—I know, I'd like to say the same about your sister, but... —My breathing stops for a moment—. I do not know her at the moment, I am sorry. —I breathe again—. And what were they talking about?
—About the dessert they are serving, it is delicious. I wanted Alyssa to try it, but she didn't want to try mine. —He pouts slightly, and I laugh a little awkwardly.
What a shame. I want to run away.
—Princess Alyssa can't eat that yet. —He details his watch and I wonder how he knows that fact—. Well, now she can. —he looks everywhere and raises his hand.
—How do you know that Ivar? —I inquire.
—To win the lady, I have to know about the lady. —He winks at me and lets loose to laugh at how tender she looks.
Could it be that he doesn't know that I am more than ten years older than him? I think it's a bit obvious.
—Ivar, I must really learn from you.
—Sure, you do. —smiles—. It's a trick I stole from my brother.
I didn't need that information but thank you.
A waiter arrives and Ivar takes a dessert and offers it to me.
—For you, beautiful princess.
—Thank you, lovely prince. —Seeing him only makes me wish I had a younger brother; I take the plate with the utensil and prepare to take the first bite. It's really delicious. I take another bite happier—. It tastes great.
—See? I wasn't lying —smiles as he continues to taste his—. Do you have a schedule where you can eat sweet?
—Yes, it seems illogical, but I can eat it from seven to nine o'clock at night. My diet is intermittent —I laugh so I don't cry—. But I'm trying to change that. Instead of having a schedule, set an amount of consumption, so I can eat it at any time of the day.
—I support your cause —expresses Ivar—. Although my brother scolds me because I always overdo it —We laugh.
—Ivar, where is your brother? —Einar enquires—. I haven't seen him in the whole party.
—Oh, it seems to me that he has already retired, he must be hiding around, he's not much partying. He'd rather be locked up reading in his library than be here —he jokes.
His loneliness is something that is still then.
(Memory)
»—What are you doing here? —I saw him lying on the sofa with a book in his hands—. The party is outside.
»—That's why I'm here. —he replied without looking at me. I walked into the office and sat across from him—. You can come back, I don't need your company, but I appreciate it.
»—I don't want to be there either, it's very boring, there are only old people.
»—It's an important event for your people, you should come back.
»—I can't stay here with you?
»—No, I want to be alone. I feel that you have been following me all the time, I am uncomfortable with your presence.
»—What an ice floe —I mentioned sarcastically, and he saw me seriously.
I guess I just thought it was cute. Now with what face do I tell my father that I was wrong? I shouldn't have seen that teen movie and fell in love with the protagonist who looks like the kid in front of me.
»—What time are you leaving? —he asked as he looked at the book.
»—You're in my grandfather's library, shouldn't you be the one to leave?"
»—... If that means I'll be away from you, that's fine. —He closed the book and stood up to put it in its place—. The palace is big and there are more desolate places, any place away from you is better.
»—I must say that we feel the same way, Prince Aren aka Mount Everest. —He looked at me again with anger on his face—. Oh, I apologize, your majesty, I should not have confessed your quality.
»—What an immature child —he denies with disappointment, and I stick out my tongue so that his words carry weight.
»—Princess! —I looked back, and my assistant came in almost running. She saw me and then the prince and bowed to us both—. Your father and grandparents have been looking for you. It's time to take the photos of memories.
»—Okay, I'm going right now.
»—Prince Aren, your assistant has been looking for you too. You must be present for the photo.
»—Isn't it just a family photo?
»—There will also be others with the rest of the royalty who go with us. You must go out and meet your parents, majesty.
»—... Well, thanks for letting me know. —He left without saying more.
»—Princess Alyssa, tell me you didn't argue with him.
»—... He is a very rare child. Let's go.
(End of memory)
—Alyssa —I go back from the past to the present and Ivar is touching my shoulder and seems to be worried—. Are you ok?
How long did I travel?
—yes, I'm sorry, I was distracted by something. —I laugh embarrassedly —. You were telling me...
—Would you like to dance this dance piece with me? I have been practicing dance and today I would like to show off what I have learned. —Smile and nod.
—Of course, I like this kind of dance a lot —I leave dessert next to the wine on the table—. Einar, we'll be back right away.
—Sure, but I hope to dance a song with you too.
—... Yes, it's okay. —We smile and I hold Ivar's hand as we make our way to the dance floor—. When I was your age, dancing was my favorite class… —I mention as we started dancing among people—. Also, archery classes, I'm very good at it.
—It is curious that my name means warrior of bows or archers.
—Really? —I ask surprised and nods with laughter.
—I guess we are meant to start a family. —I laugh at his indirect proposal.
I watch him in detail as we dance, I'm only a couple of centimeters taller than him. The first time I met his brother, he was Ivar's age. Paying attention to their physiognomy, they have a lot of resemblance.
He looks like a copy of him, but with brown hair and kind, of course. If I had his brother in my head all the time, I would have noticed it from the get-go. But the magic ended after a few hours and what many remember as my first love, I only call it a lightning of attraction because it was unforeseen and ephemeral. I should not have bragged about him with half the world, what a shame, I was just a child, what would I know about love?
We finish dancing to the song and give each other a slight bow. They start playing the next one and we walk away from the dance floor, but I meet Prince Einar on the way.
—I'm sorry for the boldness, but this is my favorite song and I'd like to dance to it with you. —He requests a little nervously as he offers me his hand.
—Of course. Ivar, it has been a pleasure to see you again. Maybe we'll see later.
—I hope so, princess. Thank you for granting me a piece, I think I will not be able to stick my eye all night —We laugh, and I say goodbye to him.
—You don't seem to be the type who dances —I tell Einar once we're on the track. He puts his hands in the same places as Ivar.
—Being frank, I avoided dancing classes. I'll tell you my secret but promise me not to tell anyone. —I affirm quickly, and he laughs—. Well, my darkest secret... It's that I have two left feet.
—…Wow, that's a hard secret to keep quiet. I think I should go to the grave soon before all the kingdoms know. —We giggle—. But it doesn't seem to be like that, you had to suffer a lot in your classes.
—Because they cost me the most, they are the ones I practiced the most. I still find it difficult to execute some dances with the necessary elegance, but at least I have the rhythm. —He laughs—. What about you? I saw you dancing with Prince Ivar, and you seemed to enjoy it very much.
—I did it. Dancing is something I like a lot since I was little. —I smile and continue—: I used to practice it with my mother... —I am silent for a few seconds—. I apologize.
—Don't worry, I know. Don't bring it up if you don't feel comfortable —He smiles slightly, and I return the gesture with the same energy. Talking about my mother is not something I do with people I just know or don't trust enough. Remembering her is something sacred to me and the people of my town, you do not mention her every time she crosses your mind.—. So... when do you plan to start collecting signatures for your food itinerary to change? —I chuckle with his question.
—I think I should take advantage of winning alloys tonight. I saw many who seemed to be in my same condition. Should we form a union perhaps? —I follow the thread and that relaxes me more.
—I can take care of making the banners and the bands. I leave advertising in your hands. But when you start with the signatures, I'll be the first to sign.
—Perfect, I hope that the fact that you are the first does not bring me misfortune. —He is offended, and we laugh. He doesn't seem to be like the first ones I met and I'm relieved that we can get along so soon.
I can see my assistant as I move, and she gives a sneaky thumbs up with a smile on her face. The song ends at last and I'm thirsty.
—Thank you for allowing me to dance with you. After Ivar, I was the only lucky one tonight.
—Do not sing victory, the traditional ball is still missing and there couples are changed often —I joke—. Will you participate in it?
—Yes, I'm sorry to say it.
—I will also participate. I can give you the honor of being the first one I dance with. —I propose.
—Although I won't be the last... But I will accept the offer. —We smile as we leave the track and Greta approaches with two bottles of water. She offers me one, and the other to Einar.
—Thank you —I answer when I take it.
—I thank you and apologize, Federico seems to have deserted his job tonight and run away —He jokes with a smile as he looks for him with his eyes around the Great Hall.
—Princess, I was informed that the traditional ball will begin shortly.
—oh, Einar, don't walk away —I hold his shoulder when he's about to leave; He sees me again and I blush at the impudence, and I remove my hand as if it had not been there a while ago.—. I'm sorry.
—No, it's nothing. You had your hand there when we danced —Smiles carefree—. I'll just go talk to my assistant; I've already located him. Don't move from here, I'll come back when they announce the ball.
—It is ok. —Slightly bows and moves away—. All right, he passes the scan. —I turn to Greta.
—That's what I thought, I already wrote him down in the list of approved —she jokes.
—It's not that he's my type, but he's the one I've felt most comfortable with so far this day meeting my suitors. If it doesn't work, I'll at least try to make him my friend.
—Now all that's left is to interact with Prince Aren of Lundy.