Ashes to Ashes | A Kylo Ren Story

18. People Are Watching.

You had swept the room on the arm of The Supreme Leader, being able to sense his emotions incredibly helpful in engaging with the public, you knew who to smile and who to condescend. 

You felt like a decoration, never informed enough to be involved. 

However, you were almost thankful for the stiff manners among the attendees, they rarely asked you for a name, and when they did Kylo swept the conversation away with practiced, if a little rusty, civility. 

The two of you approached the bar, halting only when a man and woman intercepted you, the man payed his respects to Kylo, sleeking his hand over his greasy hair with a simpering smile. 

"Join me whilst the men talk, dear?" The woman turned to you, her shimmering green gown was far more extravagant than yours, with puffed sleeves and clearly designed to exaggerate her curvaceous figure. It suited her well, and as she smiled at your sincerely, the wrinkles around her eyes told you she must be in her mid-life. 

You faltered, your mouth opening but uncertainty holding your tongue, despite your wish to join the woman you felt powerless to do so. 

You looked up to Kylo, seeing permission and cursing yourself for doing so. He deigned to gift you a slight nod, how delightful of him. 

You accompanied the woman to the bar, aquatinting yourself on the way, you found she was a lady, with her husband holding the title Lord of Heophar, the sector of Coruscant responsible for churning out large amounts of First Order armour. 

Her name was Quin, the two of you made small talk about the event untill you reached the bar,

"I must say I am impressed at your performance tonight, I hate to sound sound of putting but you are the talk of the room" She leant towards you, giving you a knowing look.

"I am just glad I can provide some entertainment" you responded amiably. You were so thankful you had bothered to correct the grammar mistakes the travellers had pointed out in your youth. 

You scanned her, reaching out with the force, trying to uncover any ill will she might be harbouring. 

You couldn't find any, but your guard remained up.

Her gaze seemed to pierce you, she wasn't stripping you with the force, but you felt exposed never the less. instead you recognised a fine tuned use of intuition. Either way it was making you want to spill everything to her. 

"Indeed, there are many people here dying to talk to you, that is-" She leaned in, side-eyeing you  with a small smile "-gain the favour of their future empress" 

The room around you stopped, a high frequency buzz hit you like a brick wall as the information sunk into your skull.

These people thought you were to rule beside  Kylo. 

You had thought very little about the consequeces of walking into the room on Kylo's arm, assuming they would acknowledge your place among the Knights, with rumours of intimacy with Kylo nothing but buzzing flies. 

But somehow they had got it into their wealth engorged heads that you were to be an Empress. 

You head turned to Kylo, finding him instantly across the room, his gaze locked on your's with a frown. 

You assumed this was the first time he was hearing of such a preposterous idea, you removed it from your thought for the moment, vowing to bring it up with Kylo later.