To Avoid Falling In Love

Chapter Three

"I do hope that man with you wasn't your date for tonight, I would feel terrible," Cyrus finally broke the silence of their dance as he spun her around once more. She shook her head as she gripped his arm to steady herself.

"No, that would be my brother, Henry," she answered, looking back to him for a moment. Cyrus nodded, happy with the answer. Alphaea looked up at him, a small glare set in her eyes at the smile playing on his face.

"So I suppose that means you do not have a date for the night?" Cyrus asked, his next words of 'I could be your date' hanging in the air obviously. Alphaea grimaced.

"Goodness You're Highness, you don't even know my name and yet you are trying to ask to be my partner for the night," she sounded sarcastic as she spun around again, the music would be ending soon-- thank god. Alphaea didn't know how much longer she could last in this position.

"Well then what is your name My lady?" He pulled her closer than necessary.

"If you must know it is Alphaea Alphaea Raze," she said quietly. Cyrus felt his veins run cold at the name, the very name he had heard only but an hour ago from his father in... not the best setting.

"Father please, what is this about? Mother will have my head if I am any later than I already am," Cyrus sighed as he followed his father into his study. The king turned to him rapidly, causing the prince to stumble back a bit.

"Your mother, she sent out many letters to many different young ladies about attending your ball, you remember yes?" Cyrus nodded as his father spoke, his brows furrowing as he got further into his story. "Well I never even thought to look at the letters as I thought she would understand to only invite those that neither of us had had issues with," he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"And I assume she ignored that?" Cyrus felt a small smile tug on his mouth. His father looked up at him with a deep glare before beginning to pace around the room. Cyrus watched him as he went, not saying a word yet.

"There is one lady in particular, you do not know her and hopefully you won't, but I do not want you anywhere near her do you understand. She is a close friend of your brothers and I don't even want him to be close to her or her family, but that little pain in the ass refuses to listen to me anymore," he muttered in the last part. Cyrus arched a brow, he knew Collin had a friend he's been visiting everyday for a while now but what did she do to make his father dislike her this much?

"Can I ask what she did to make you... dislike her so?" He leaned back onto the wall and crossed his arm, watching his father stop his walking and look at him.

"She is the only daughter of that blasted Duke Raze, I believe her name is Alphaea. And as much as the Duke has helped us, I do not need someone that is a part of that... powerful of a family entering the royals," Cyrus was lost by his father's words.

"Don't you want someone powerful to join the family. Doesn't that help you in the end?" he asked, not understanding the reasoning at all. His father grimaced.

"I would like more power sure but," he looked away and out the window. "That family, their power is a threat to us at this point. They have plenty of respect among the lower nobles and even the commoners, it could be used against us at any point," Cyrus almost laughed at his father's words.

He hadn't heard much from Collin on the Duke's family or how they act and be, but from what he's overheard from Collin's servants and the one time Collin spoke to him about it, they seemed perfectly content with where they are now. They liked not being the complete head of the kingdom. Cyrus kicked off the wall.