Seriphyn Knight Chronicles

Soft light beamed over our heads from rose-gold chandelier trees with three tiers holding pillar candles. Between the sconces were gold figurine framed portraits, glorifying a stout and balding military man with his wartime merits saturating the right side of stiff navy jacket.

I held back my laughter at the portraits" obvious attempts to make the man taller by stretching out his legs near the bottom of the frame. The artists should"ve spent more of the time making his face handsome by doing away with his pug nose, beady eyes and tight lips.

"Lady Charlese. You must not a.s.sociate with that Leinard boy anymore." Mile"s spoke without taking his eyes away from the way ahead of him.

"Why?" I frowned.

"Why?" He stopped and faced me with clear exasperation.

"Your Highness disgraced him. He is a pariah to this kingdom. I understand you had past relations being siblings by marriage. That relationship is now null and void by His Majesty"s law."

He sighed and turned to one of the portraits, taking in deep breaths like the image was offering him affirmations. "If not for the good graces or our patron Marlo, he would be within a prison system."

He faced me again, his blue eyes were aglow with a set expression. "Shall we move on?"

I gulped and nodded.

He opened the elaborately decorated floral doors at the end. We stepped into an atmosphere of high society and exaggerated wealth. It was almost blinding.

Rows of shining white diamond and silver five-tier candle chandeliers hung over our heads. Their party light was reflected across a vast area of polished floor boards and plaster white walls bearing twelve animal crest flags. At the head of the flags was a mighty black and white eagle that represented Sol"s main deity—Exacles. This was the High King"s crest. It seemed it also represented Charlese"s family from eavesdropped conversations between dance partners.

Tapping heels and shuffling shoes squeaked across the floor. Dancing bodies moved graciously around the multicolored fairy b.a.l.l.s, which whizzed about in time with the merry music being played by an orchestra on the stage. Bright lights were making the ballroom glamour go to my head with an ache.

Miles ditched me for his familiar boys" club toward a seedy spot near the back of the ballroom where we had entered.

I found myself dancing in a killer corset and numbing heels for ages. Every time I had tried to call it quits, some pompous pretty-boy would take my hand and lead me into another dancing merry-go-round. I hated this twosome activity. However, the body I had unwittingly invaded loved it. Especially the Five-Step Waltz. I was amazed at how many boys in black and white penguin suits were keen to dance this routine with me. It was to the point that all their faces became one big blur.

The dancing experience was not all fruitless. Further, eavesdropping had me learning more about myself. I was a scion from a wealthy and politically influential unit family to the king. It explained the reason for the potential suitors wanting to claim my hand with a dance.

So Leinard getting friendly with me was something that I, meaning Charlese, had wanted, right? Why run off into the servant"s quarters if wasn"t to have forbidden nookie? My face blushed a deep red at the thought of Leinard and me making out beyond a kiss.

"Gaah! What am I thinking?" I thought aloud and tensed when I remembered where I was.

"Charlese-sama? Is everything okay?" asked a sweet-face boy.

"Oh, well, I"ve been dancing non-stop. My heels are a tad painful." I flippantly answered.

I grabbed a finely dressed girl who was leaving the floor and crudely paired her up with my dance partner; leaving the scene before either of them had time to protest.

I pushed and weaved my way through other strapping young men in black-white penguin suits and women in sequence ball gowns of green, blue and gold-white; their hands, necks, ears and other exposed body parts glimmering with strings of diamonds or other precious stone. Sparkling headdresses held together with tight curls and stylish hairdos. The aroma of rose water, fragrant powder and musk overpowered my senses. The glitz and glamour was making me feel like I was in a circus. My head needed fresh air.

"I imagine this is what a Velvet Rose party would be like." I groaned as I stepped out onto a wide terrace and gaped at the sparkling wonder before my eyes.

Moonlight bathed the terrace"s moonstone, making it twinkle like stars on a night sky. A refreshing scent of lavender and pine uplifted my senses and cleared my head. A gentle breeze cooled my flushed skin as I leaned against the stone railing. The way beyond the balcony was covered with night, turning the landscape into an amorphous mystery.

"Beautiful night."

I turned to the sound of Leinard"s voice. Thoughts of being held by him rushed to my mind. Charlese was in love with him. My heart pounded with confirmation of the fact. Underneath these emotions, I was feeling peeved.

"Colonel."

He"s face was almost in the shadows as he loitered near the balcony"s steps. I spied the vague outline of hedge gardens to his back.

I glanced about to see if anyone had noticed him. When I felt certain no one was paying us attention, I grabbed his hand and dragged him into a sprint down the steps.

We entered the amorphous darkness, fumbling our way down gravel paths toward more outlines of hedges and bushes. I guessed we were headed for the entrance of a garden maze.

Leinard took control of our direction with confidence. He led me through a corridor of dense hedge walls smelling of gardenia and rose.

Our run led into a private sitting area, which was out of the party"s view. The music and merriment were vague noises in the distance.

My heart beat with a burning ache. I admitted that most of the pain was from running in heels.

Leinard called upon a small ball of light no bigger than a marble. It floated in the air before our faces, so we could see each other"s eyes.

His gray eyes showed a tenderness and earnest, his staring was making my heart beat faster.

Those earlier thoughts of wanting to be wrapped in his arms pestered my brain. d.a.m.n it. I couldn"t fight the feeling nor did I have the urge of wanting to.

I tenderly stroked his cheek.

"I"m sorry about before. I"m not myself," I whispered.

"I know. This is not right, yet..." He continued his conversation with a kiss, which turned into pa.s.sionate tonguing, sucking, stroking and skillful undressing.

My body tingled from where he necked. He was making me swoon from his teasing pinches and tender touches to my naked skin. I wanted more of him; I needed more.

He carried me to a stone bench and had me straddle his lap, kissing my b.r.e.a.s.t.s as he exposed them to the cool, night air.

We removed the clothes that stopped us from becoming one. I moaned his name when he lowered my hips, so his long member could enter me. We moved, synchronizing with each other"s pace; kissing pa.s.sionately, so we were breathing each other"s air. His mouth tenderly marked me in many places to stake his claim. I was his and he was mine.

Our love making eventually reached a climax and sweet comedown. I relished the moment of being held in his arms.

"I think we better return." Leinard suggested.

I could tell from his eyes that he wanted more time, but we both realized that would be troublesome. He helped me redress and fix up my makeup.

It was this moment that I realized what my brothers and Brystagg had seen of me. A fact I had refused to see for myself. Seething with annoyance was an understatement.

"Hey, Colonel. You know, one day you"ll meet this genius boy with black eyes. This boy will have the satisfaction of knocking your a.s.s to the ground because of this moment." I declared with a c.o.c.ky grin and pressed a kiss to his forehead to seal the promise.

My forehead scrunched with a frown, noticing his coolness to the fact.

"Looking forward to it," Leinard said, going along with my comment.

He finger-flicked my forehead with a self-satisfied att.i.tude. These Aueralius Brothers were really something.

We made it out of the garden maze where we were greeted with an unfriendly reception.

A group of hard-hitting goons in bowler hats had us surrounded. They looked weird dressed in black frock coats rimmed with bra.s.s b.u.t.tons, black double-breasted vest and pin-striped pants where the hems touched the cuffs of lace up boots. The gentleman thug look wasn"t a good choice for their bulky bodies.

Their black-gloved hands, leaning on silver canes, unnerved me the most. Those walking sticks glinted too unnaturally in the semi-darkness for my liking.

At their head was Miles.

"Appalling. Absolutely appalling. Your taste in men needs a major revision Lady Charlese. Especially after I had coached you on sticking to our kind. Shameless girl." Miles expressed his disgust.

"Bring them to the Training Chamber of the Urisen Floor." He ordered the goons with a wave of his hand. "Our Masters wants them to bear witness."

"Get off me!" I cursed as my arms were painfully held back by a couple of bowler-hat goons.

They threw a sack over my head. I m.u.f.fled my protests with a fierce struggle, but the scent of cinnamon and aniseed overpowered my senses to knock me out.