A distance from the garden, the Third and Fifth Princes stood.
"What is going on?" the Third Prince, Prince Hector asks, hands folded behind him.
Smiling, "I heard Lana was hosting a garden party, but everywhere smells like the Second Queen. I wonder who she is setting a trap for this time. It can't be Venetia, can it?" the Fifth Prince, Prince Orland asks. "I guess the diamond must be here too."
Prince Hector who was about to walk away turns back. "The Diamond?"
"The First Queen named a Diamond this season. Tell me you have not heard about it." the fifth prince says.
Prince Hector stares at the Fifth Prince.
Sighing. "It is the reason you and Vaughn are not married. At least Vaughn seems to be making an effort this season." Taking his brother's hand. "Come with me, I'll find the famous Diamond of this season and introduce you to her. Luckily, you too may get hooked on her just like the rest."
"Do you even know what she looks like?" the Third Prince asks.
Dragging him along. "No, I don't, but it shouldn't be hard to find her."
The Second Queen was talking with some Mamas at a corner, while Venetia, Kidaya, Ralph, Eddna, and Joan who had joined, were in another corner together.
"Is that our Princess!" Prince Orland exclaims loudly, his hand still holding onto Hector, while he waves from where he stood.
Princess Venetia was about to scream back and wave, but she saw her mother's glaring eyes on her, so all she did was smile at them.
"Oh! Is that Her Majesty, the Second Queen?" Orland says walking past her. The Queen who hated being addressed as the 'Second Queen' in public just fakes a smile while secretly glaring at Orland.
Finally, they stop where the small group was seated. "Is that my little sister!" Orland exclaims tickling the Princess who loses her composure and squeals. The Second Queen rolls her eyes angrily at the gesture.
"You must be the Diamond." Prince Hector says to Kidaya who was smiling at the Princess as she lets go of the child in her, and squeals again.
Kidaya darts her eyes to the person in front of her and then she curtseys. "Miss Simon, My Lord."
He bows to her. "Hector –
"Prince Hector!" the Fifth Prince, Prince Orland cuts in, returning from troubling his sister.
*
"Aunt, can't I miss this soiree?" Kidaya asks just as they get to their carriage.
Shaking her head. "Not at all, not when you have charmed the Second Prince, the Duke of Wethingham, and the Third Prince. You cannot miss any soiree because there will be no soiree without you."
"But Aunt –
"We will be late, Bloom, and you know this conversation will not go in your favor."
The ride to the Baldwin House didn't take too long. Their carriage arrived amidst other carriages, and while they were approaching the door, they met the second Prince who was talking with a young Lord just beside the door.
Kidaya cursed silently, remembering the havoc she had done nights ago. And when the second Prince glared at her, she knew he had not forgotten it, and would surely want to take revenge. He looked like he was going to break his conversation and intercept her when they walked close, so Kidaya thought of an idea. And just as they got close, he turns away from the Lord to face them.
Hands folded behind his back, "Lady Erskine, it is a pleas-
Kidaya sneezes loudly and in the Prince's direction. Everyone turns to look at her. "I am sorry every - acheww!" she sneezes again, and the Prince had to take some steps backward and cover his face.
Lady Erskine rushes over to her and begins to pat her on the back. "Bloom."
"I am sorry Aunt, I must have caught ... acheww!"
"Let's hurry inside, I will ask Lady Baldwin for a cup of ginger tea for you." Lady Erskine says hurrying Kidaya inside.
Kidaya smiles on her way inside, a smile the Second Prince saw and it only infuriated him more that the girl had made a fool of him yet again.
Ralph who has been watching everything turns to the Prince. "I do apologize about that, Your Grace." He says before walking away with both Eddna and Joan in his arms.
Once inside the hall, Kidaya found herself in a corner where she sat far away from others, and Aunt Erskine kept her company while she persuaded Ralph and her girls to go ahead and enjoy the ball.
"Why is the Diamond seated here? Is the ball not to your liking?" Lady Baldwin asks, her daughter Veronika was beside her.
Kidaya offers a curtsey to her. "It is a wonderful ball, My Lady. I do apologize for sitting here like this."
"Others may think the ball is not to the Diamond's taste, and that is why she sits here," Veronika says, then she smiles at Kidaya. "Mama is worried and overly obsessive about throwing a perfect ball."
Kidaya smiles back at her. "It is more than perfect. I just have a bit of cold which is why I took a seat."
"I hope you do not mind me troubling you for a cup of ginger tea for her, Lady Baldwin." Lady Erskine asks.
"Not at all." Lady Baldwin says calling one of her servers who comes and she whispers the orders to him. Veronika and Kidaya got talking while the two Mamas also discussed. when the music changed and people began to take their position on the dance floor, Lords approached them asking for a dance. Kidaya paired Veronika with one of the Lords and was about to turn the rest down when she saw the Second Prince headed her way. Oh no! she thought grabbing the nearest Lord's hand and leaving with him for the dance floor.
Prince Vaughn paused in his steps.
Again!
She was doing this again. It infuriated him more especially as many debutants surrounded him now, and angrily, he took one of their hands and marched off to the dance floor with her. He made sure to take a stand close to Kidaya, his eyes on her.
The song began and everyone began to dance. Kidaya tried her best not to look at the Prince whose eyes followed her everywhere, making her feel like a prey.
"I know how to play the pianoforte and I can sing very well." The debutante was saying to the Prince. "My needlework is –
"Can you read?" the Prince asks, eyes still fixed on the Diamond.
"Ehn… I … I can recite –
The Prince spins her around just as dance partners are being changed. Kidaya purposely twirls in another direction just to avoid him, but Prince Vaughn moved towards her and made sure to grab her hand and spin her around to face him. When their eyes met, his heartbeat raced and her heart leaped.
'Is that how much she makes me angry?'
'Is this how much I hate him?'
They both thought.
"How is your cold coming along, Miss Simon?" the prince questions, his eyes not leaving hers.
Kidaya shrugs. "A bit better. Lady Baldwin ginger tea works wonders."
"Hmmm" he says taking her gloved hands and pulling her to himself. Their bodies collide and he slips his hand around her waist, eyes buried in hers, his heart racing faster at his action.
Becoming uncomfortable due to his constant stare and her continuous leap of heart, Kidaya pulls away, about to change her dance partner back to the first one, but the second prince pulls her back and sends the Lord a glare, who clears his throat and grabs another Lady's hand.
"Leaving so soon?" the second prince asks as they waltz.
She shrugs, not saying a word.
"Oh please do not," he says and his words had Kidaya looking up at him. She looks up at him at his meek tone. "Especially not when we have not even talked about your little act at the last soiree." The end of his sentence turned icy, and she did the one thing he was not expecting. She laughs, and he looks up at her.
"Oh please Your Infuriating Grace, do not tell me that is all it takes to get you furious?" Kidaya says to him.
"What!" he stares at her, both at her use of the word 'Infuriating Grace' and her sentence.
She shrugs with indifference. "Since you keep talking about how I bumped into you on purpose and faked a swoon the first time we met, I thought I should show you what a faked swoon looks like. Who better than Margery to show you the difference." Kidaya says to him.
"She stuck to me all night!" The prince states.
"That is what one is supposed to do after faking a swoon. I hope you learned the difference, Your Infuriating Grace."
He spins her around and pulls her back against his body as they took steps to the left and right, his right hand wrapped around her waist, her head against his chest. And that scent wafted into his nose again. He inhales it in silence.
'Jasmine!' He says in his mind, his eyes dilating at the smell of it. She spins around and was about to change partner again, but yet again, he pulls her back to himself. "I am not done talking." He says, his mind silently registering how soft her hands felt even with the gloves between them.
Eyes on him. "I had no idea that's what we were doing. Were we talking?" she asks faking innocence.
She must be the most conceited debutante this season! He says in his mind. "Never do that again." He warns.
"Which one? Mistakenly bump into you, or push Margery to show you a demonstration of what you accused me of?"
"Are girls supposed to be this brazen?"
Shrugging, "Maybe, but I wouldn't know because I am not a girl." She says glaring at him with those perfect green eyes of hers.
He was about to say something but someone pulls her away from him and shoved another at him. Angrily, he looks up to see who would dare do such a thing, only to find Trenton, his cousin.
"I believe it was time to change partners." The Duke says to him before grabbing the Diamond's hand and walking away to another part of the hall with her. And before she leaves with the Duke, she scoffs at him.
"It is an honor to dance with you, Your Grace." Says the Lady in front of him, only for him to look down and discover it was Margery.
The hell!
No wonder the Diamond had scoffed.