Would you dance with me my lord?

She was young. She was trying her best to hide her expression, but the purpose was clear. Begging him to stab her with the knife, she behaved as no princess should. It was definitely not the kind of behavior to show the king, whether she wanted to die or not.

But he did not even once think to kill her, of course.

That was how it should be. Lu Havre never wanted a small, unnecessary war. Although it was clear that victory was his, taking over all the way up to Bolu Ronia caused him a hard time, and he did not even want a cold, suburban area anyway. The best he could do for his kingdom was to end the war there.

It helped that he liked the young diplomat from Skara. He wanted the princess as a captive just because he wanted to end the war and make a pact as soon as possible in order to keep a peaceful relationship. Even the offer was made from the diplomat from Skara himself. Lu Havre initially requested the crown prince, but the diplomat dealt with him calmly. He offered to send the youngest princess in return for the crown prince.

The king accepted the offer as their understanding of each other worked out. That is how the Jeice pact was created. As the king who won and ended the war, he wanted to treat the princess well. She was part of the war after all. He told the princess his intentions, too.

However, she had thrown the spoon at the dinner table. He could tell that she was looking for death, but he could not figure out why she wanted it. He was thinking while he was eating. There hadn’t been any special report from the past ten days, so it seemed like she was spending her time well. He thought that maybe she was looking to get something else. If so, he did not want that kind of rumor to spread around. He wanted to know exactly what it was that she wanted.

But in truth, she was already getting what she wanted. Maybe she was not aware of the pact, he thought. He knew that he would not be a great king if he did not respect foreign countries, even if they had just lost to him in battle. He learned this through his father, who caused a whole war just to fulfill his greedy soul; his father probably only realized this after his death in the war he caused.

Although his country achieved victory, the damage was there for both sides. The north side of Monterobis was just full of ash now. It was his responsibility to recover the region and listen to the people to meet their needs.

Tut. He clicked his tongue.

Rather than causing war again, he would treat the princess and the crown prince well enough for both countries to benefit from the pact. Knowing and understanding all this, the king thought the princess was so young and naïve. She was not aware of any of the things going on in this situation. She was so focused on the thing she wanted that she did not think to look around her. Perhaps she was so afraid of the knife that she could not think straight.

Lu Havre was not willing to show her the pact, as he would have to explain everything one by one in detail to make her understand everything. He did not want to, and he did not need to.

He didn’t know what exactly what she wanted or needed, but the paper guaranteeing her current lifestyle and eventual freedom would suffice. Though he wrote that he would send her back to Skara once the after-war process was done, it was, in fact, an incomplete document. The choice of the words was unclear, and the date was also unclear. The only thing that was clear and for sure was that he was willing to provide the extravagance she wanted.

Although the document was unclear, it seemed to be good enough for the princess. The king’s observation was correct. She could not even see her hands shaking while she signed the paper because she was so overcome with joy and excitement. He could easily see the smile creeping onto her face.

The princess bowed down with a satisfied smile on her face.

The king looked out to the window. The castle was quiet in the darkness. He saw the snow sparkle under the streetlight. The grandest castle in Latrice, shining bright with the colorful lights, was all his.

As he was getting into endless thoughts, someone knocked on the door. No steps were heard.

“Your majesty, this is Yeref from the top tier of Etunakil Le Nante.”

“Come in.”

A middle-aged man came in and greeted the king.

“Greetings to the heir of Monvixo, Nante, from the eternal servant of yours.”

“I have a task for you.”

“Please command.”

“Escort the princess from Skara.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Give her due respect as a princess. You may go.”

“Will do. Ou Otoi Monvixo Le-Hoshuchoihre.”

<>

***

The early morning was pure white like snow. The palace was peaceful. The king opened his eyes slowly. He thought about his tasks for the day for a bit, then he straightened his body to reach out to the bell on the bedpost. Suddenly, he noticed the pale skin of someone next to him. Dark, long, wavy hair was laid on the bedsheet, coupled with long black lashes, small shoulders, voluminous breasts, and a thin waist.

Lu Havre looked down at the lady. She was one of the most beautiful ladies in Monterobis. He started to think of a few possible reasons why this lady could be in his bed.

“Karbala.”

He soon called his servant.

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Explain this.”

“She is the wife of baron Yereve, who passed away. She stepped in by herself.”

“What happened to him?”

Although baron Yereve’s reputation was small, he had been to few royal balls since he owned some land in Claremont. Still, he could not think of a reason why his wife would find her way into his bed.

“I apologize, but I am afraid that I’m not aware of what happened.”

It had barely been two weeks since Karbala came to the palace, after all. Before that, he was in the war with Lu Havre for almost two years. After the war, he was busy taking care of the cleanup progress, and when he finally came back to the palace, there wasn’t a royal ball even though the princess from Skara came. It should have been obvious that he would not know about the current situation of the nobles. It was hard to finish reading all the papers about them, as there were so many of them.

“Why didn’t you stop her?”

“I apologize. She was a naked lady who could do no harm to your majesty.”

“I am assuming that is what the previous king wanted.”

Lu Havre rubbed his eyes gently. He did not let his servants know about this because to him, it was common sense.

“Yes.”

Lu Havre’s father was a ladies’ man. He would bring home any woman, regardless of class, and Lu Havre had seen it once in a while, too. Servants, especially Etutus were probably used to what the former king did, as they served him for numerous years.

However, Lu Havre was not that kind of king.

“Do not let any lady into my bedroom anymore.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Do not let anyone in here without my permission. I want to be clear about this.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Let the head of security know this, too. Tell it to the night guards as well. There will be a proper punishment if I am not obeyed.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Reflect on what you have done before the Terre festival. Onne will take your place instead. You may go now.”

“Taking your order, your majesty. Ou Otoi Monvixo Le-Hoshuchoihre.”

The Terre festival was only few days away. Karbala received a light punishment for what he had done. Knowing that, he left the room thanking the king.

The capital was already busy getting ready for the Oisterre festival. The Oisterre festival happened all over the country for one week, and it was known for its own fanciness and energy. The Terre festival started on the fifth day of the Oisterre festival, continuing for the following five days with a number of glamorous balls.

The festivals were the biggest gatherings of the nobles and used to celebrate the new year. Especially since the princess from Skara had arrived, the ball would be bigger and fancier than ever. He had to check the preparations for the ball and also let the princess know about this, too.

There were so many things the king had to take care of now that he was back from his long absence — from the ball and his bedroom, everything required the tiniest details. Because of this, he could not have Karbala punished for too long, even if he wanted to. He couldn’t even go to sleep if he wanted to. His exhaustion was building up without getting enough rest.

“I know you are awake.”

A tiny shoulder moved. The king looked at the naked lady laying next to him. The lady had skin as pure as a pearl even though she was from the southern region — but that did nothing for the man.