oppositum [a (maybe) Nikolai Lantsov story] (currently being reviewed)

XV

ballroom

The music had resumed and several couples were dancing in the middle of the room. Rasmus reluctantly approached his sister.

"Mom sent me to book your second dance. Just to show that we get along perfectly and are super complimentary even though I never see you."
"No problem. Now, if you'll excuse us, I seem to have caught a glimpse of Koira."

Nix led Lýkos towards her general. He was in the middle of a discussion with a nobleman. The latter, when he saw the princess approaching him, smiled broadly.

"Your Highness! I wish you a happy birthday."
"I thank you."
"And you are?"
"Lýkos Alas. Training partner of the princess in the drüskelles."

The man nodded, then lost interest in him completely.

"Princess, let me introduce you to my son."

He pushed a boy at least twice Nix's age in front of him who looked very embarrassed to be there.

"My son is a very shy boy but he would like to have a dance with you Princess."
"Father... You can see there's no point, the princess already has a partner."
"Don't talk nonsense Son!"

Nix sighed then turned to Lýkos and whispered in his ear.

"Let me die. As soon as I get back, they're already trying to set me up with guys twice as old as me."

Lýkos scoffed then turned to the nobleman and his son.

"The Princess will be very happy to dance with you, but in two dances. The first is mine and the second is her brother's."

The nobleman watched Lýkos with disdain.

"My son can wait, after all, he is a gentleman and will know how to respect the order of the Princess's dance requests. The third, then."

Lýkos took Nix's hand and led her onto the dance floor as a slow waltz began to be played.

"What did you get me into, you fake friend."
"I'm doing you a favor for your political future, as Koira says, it all comes down to tonight."
"Nonsense. Dancing with this guy is just going to make his father feel better about me marrying him in the future."
"He looks quite respectable and is quite handsome."

Nix scoffed and stepped heavily on Lýkos' foot on purpose.

"Oops, it seems that despite our training, I haven't managed to rediscover my dancing skills."

Lýkos rolled his eyes and kicked Nix discreetly in the shin, causing her to cry out in pain and surprise.

"And I, it seems, remain a poor, uneducated peasant in ballroom dancing."

They looked deeply into each other's eyes, glaring at each other until the dance was over.
Lýkos still placed a furtive kiss on Nix's cheek to make amends. She answered him with a light smile and patted his shoulder, her pseudo anger already gone.

"I leave you in Koira's care, I'm going to find my brother to dance and then satisfy the other noble's desires and dance with his son. Then we'll eat some cake, I'll make a great short speech and we can leave this damn party."
"Kay."

It didn't take Nix long to find his brother. He was glued to their mother, who was surrounded by her followers. As Nix approached, a corridor in the crowd opened to let her through. Everyone watched her, trying to figure out why she was there.

"My dear Rasmus! Come and dance with your big sister! We have a lot to talk about! Two years without seeing each other! It's a good thing our beautiful relationship hasn't changed with my absence!"

Rasmus rolled his eyes but joined her, took her hand and they headed to the center of the room.

"You didn't have to go through all that trouble earlier. It didn't really do you any good because all you did was make yourself even more detestable to Mother's followers."

Nix huffed then planted her gaze in Rasmus' eyes.

"Look. I like you little brother but you're on Mother's side and she's looking to get me out of the way so she can put you on the throne. So either you want your mom and we can't get along. Or, you come closer to me, accept that I have the crown and in return I'll delegate certain duties to you and let you do what you want when I'm Queen but Mother won't want to talk to you because you're allying with her dead husband's bastard."

Rasmus remained silent for a while before answering.

"Why is it so complicated... Some day I wish we weren't the royal family. Everything would be much simpler and we could have been real sibilings."
"Yes. It would have helped us to know each other better. But now we can't change our family and the dice for our future are cast. All that's left is your choice to seal our relationship forever."
"I'm not cut out for politics. You know that perfectly well. The army and most of the merchants are on your side. I have no one. Only a few of Mother's admirers, but when she's gone, who knows if they won't rally to you instead when they see my incompetence."

Nix let him speak, waiting only for his answer.

"I don't want the throne... But my relationship with Mother is all I have. Sorry Nix. I would still try to stop Mother from her madness of putting me on the throne."
"It's your choice, I have no right to question it."

The music stopped and they joined the edge of the dance floor.

"It's been a real pleasure talking to you. I mean it. I wish you a very good life Rasmus."

He made a move to grab her wrist and stop her as she turned her back and started to leave, but let her arm fall back at the last moment. Understanding that his choice had been final and was now irreversible.

No sooner had she left Rasmus than the nobleman with his son jumped on her. The son invited her to dance in a mumble so low that she didn't understand anything but said yes. The dance was very silent because neither of them dared to say a word and then they didn't know each other so they didn't know what to talk about too. Once finished, he walked her back to Lýkos but before letting go of her hand, he made her turn to him.

"Uh... I'd just like to get something straight, Your Highness."
"Speak."
"It's a bit harsh to say it like that, but I'm not interested in Her Highness. Only my father wants me to marry you, but I can see that I am much older than you and not very qualified for the title of King. Besides, if I'm not mistaken, Her Highness loves another, doesn't she?"
"Another?"
"Your ball partner! Princess, even if it is not true, it is my duty to warn you that there are rumors about you and him."
"What are they?"
"That you are sleeping together."