The footsteps approached him from behind, revealing itself as a woman. She came in front of him and sat on a chair behind him, the smile on her face widening with each passing moment. He wondered what she wanted.
"Umm…" she murmured, tucking her hair behind her ears, looking up at him with gleaming eyes.
He was used to women admiring him, but none had dared to approach him. Maybe she didn't know who he was, otherwise.
"I saw that you are having a good time alone… so I wanted to join. I hope you're okay with that?" she asked, looking at him for answers.
"It's okay," he replied. He was okay as long as Nora was happy. She was the only thing that occupied his mind. He didn't care if anyone sat next to him. All he cared about was Nora.
Silence assured for a moment before she decided to break it. "I'm Eleanor, nice to meet you," she smiled, offering a handshake. He looked at her hand sticking out to him, then looked away with a sigh. He hated it.
She dropped her hand, her face flushed with embarrassment when he didn't take it.
"What do you think about the masquerade ball?" she asked, curious to hear his opinion.
Maybe he should just talk to her, even though he hated talking, especially with people he didn't know.
"It's fun," he simply said. Nothing was fun to him. Others saw masquerade ball as an exciting event, but all he saw were a bunch of assassins trying to get rid of him at every move they made. It happened the first time he went to the ball after a command from the emperor, and that day he had regretted it. He narrowly escaped death several times, even in the grand hall. Since then, he never went again.
He was an enemy to all, after all.
"It must be great for you to say it's fun. No man ever said that. They think it's childish and frivolous with all the masks flaunting on everyone's face," she said and laughed silently.
"I never knew people didn't think it was great either," he commented.
"I found it great, though," she added.
They continued talking. Sometimes she would laugh at something he said, even if it wasn't funny. How he wished Nora could be this free with him. She was still scared of him, even though she tried to appear arrogant. He could still see the fear in her eyes. And he hated it.
****
We all gathered around the old man who was selling exquisite masks. The masks were truly beautiful, but there was one that caught everyone's attention. All the ladies, including myself, desired it, but its price was too high for the villagers to afford. I admired the grand mask just like any other villager, but I didn't have any money with me.
I remembered that Regan might have some money, so I turned in the direction he had mentioned. To my surprise, he was with another woman. Anger and jealousy surged through me, and I hurried toward them only to find her laughing and Regan smiling. How dare he smile at another woman!
Without thinking clearly, I stood in front of him and grabbed his hand, pulling him away without giving him a chance to speak.
"Nora..." he called, and I stopped, looking at him with a hostile expression on my face.
He smiled and gazed directly at me, a smile that made all the anger inside me melt away.
"You look beautiful," he said with a smile. Oh... he shouldn't call me beautiful when he was just with another woman. But what I really wanted was the mask. I would forgive him if he bought it for me.
I grabbed his hand again and led him toward the old man's store. I couldn't help but glance at the woman he had been with, checking if she was prettier than me. She wasn't laughing anymore, and her expression seemed like someone had taken something precious away from her, and she was ready to do something drastic. But I didn't care. Regan was my husband, and I could have him whenever I wanted.
But I was terribly mistaken.
We stood in front of the store, and I pointed at the mask that had caught everyone's attention.
"Do you want it?" he asked.
"Yes," I replied firmly. He just smiled and went to the man, while I observed his every move.
He reached for the mask and tried to take it, but the old man snatched it away from him and cursed at him. Regan was used to getting whatever he wanted, and this old man had to remind him that he was surrounded by weak people. He needed to control his temper to avoid causing a scene.
"Young boy, you shouldn't touch it," the old man said sarcastically.
"I want it," Regan insisted.
The old man paused and gave him a thorough look before scowling. "It's not something you can afford, boy," he spatted and continued with his work.
"How much is it?" Regan asked, struggling to remain calm. He could feel his anger rising.
"A thousand coins. Do you have that?" the man replied, raising an eyebrow in contempt.
Just a thousand coins. Well, Regan didn't have enough coins with him since he hadn't planned on buying anything. But he had something else.
"You see... I told you that you can't afford it," the man laughed, and some villagers joined in.
Regan reached into his pocket and pulled out something. He placed it on the man's table, and everyone stood frozen, shocked by what they were witnessing. I looked over when I felt the sudden silence and froze as well. What was he doing? How could he bring out his prince seal?
I rushed toward him, grabbed the seal from the table, and walked away, while he sighed and followed me.
"What are you doing? Are you trading your seal for a mask? This is what makes you a prince, Regan. You can't just give it away. It's a crime," I scolded firmly, trying to bring some sense into him.
"I thought you wanted the mask," he asked, taking the seal from me.
"Yes, I wanted it. But it's okay if we don't have the money," I continued, hoping he would listen to me.
"You said you wanted it, so I'm getting it for you. It doesn't matter how I get it. It's fine as long as you have it," he said and walked away before I could stop him.
Now I hated myself for telling him I wanted a mask. That seal was infinitely more valuable than a mere mask.
He gave the man the seal and took the mask. I wore a deep frown on my face as he approached me.
"It's going to look beautiful on you," he said, placing the mask over my head.
"I don't want it anymore," I snapped, devoid of any smile on my face.
He sighed and cupped my face in his hands. "Nora, I promise it's okay as long as it's for you. I don't mind, okay?" he said softly.
"It's a treasure you just gave away, Regan," I said with the same tone.
"I know, but it's useless anyway."
"What?" I exclaimed, amazed by what he had just said. He wasn't a prince without the seal.
"See... it's truly beautiful," he said once he finished putting the mask onme.
"That's not..." I started to say, but he silenced me with a sudden kiss on my lips. He gave me a gentle kiss before pulling away with a smile. "Enjoy yourself, Nora," he said, leaving me standing there with flushed cheeks.
****
Regan went to sit back in his previous seat. Eleanor wasn't there anymore. She was talking to some men, and was pointing to someone in the crowd. Regan didn't mind finding out who she was referring to. He looked away and focused his attention on Nora with a smile on his face. He didn't regret giving away his seal for the mask. She meant more to him than a seal that had caused him so much pain.
When he heard his horse neigh, he stood up and walked towards where it was tied. He wondered what had frightened it so much. He reached there and checked the surroundings, searching for any threat, but couldn't find any.
He walked back to his seat to watch Nora again, but this time she was no longer there.
She was gone.