I Choose All of You

Chapter Sixteen

I leaned my back against the cold wall, near the rear of the ballroom, and sipped my drink. Mentally I boo'ed Kalum for stopping Jeremiah and I's fun. Besides his obviousflirtatious default setting, Jeremiah is actually really nice company. He was the most fun I've had this entire night so far. Hell, he even saved me from that creep of a guard.

Just as I thought about Harrison, I caught a glimpse of his stumbling ass at the end of the hallway. I leaned over a bit to watch from the archway of the ballroom. There Harrison was, at the opposite end of the hallway from me, fumbling with the keys, that I previously noticed around his waist. He struggled to open the lock in front of him but the door eventually swung open. He stepped inside.

That was the Royal Guard's Main Office, if I remember correctly. Harrison closed the door behind him and he disappeared from view. I wonder what's in there. What secrets it may hold. Probably just more liquor.

I once again scanned the ballroom walls. Besides the main entrance to the room and the three balconies, that's the only entranceway I could see. Then my eyes fell on the double staircase at the back of the room. Along with the doors the Queen and her sons walked through. I haven't checked over there yet. Oh well, can't be too thorough. I walked along the wall, towards the staircases. Soon I came upon a women sitting in a chair, in the corner. Her green dress was lovely and I realized it was Queen Clarissa.

"Good evening, your majesty," I curtsied as she looked over at me. "This is a beautiful ball you have planned." Oh god, here come the nerves.

She looked extremely stoic and her intense blue eyes scanned me. I stood straighter. She really is scary.

"Thank you, darling. Might I have your name?" Her voice was smooth yet to the point.

"Sarah Hart, your majesty."

"Ahh Miss Hart. You have a beautiful gown you are wearing. Is that an Isaiah original?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Well it suits your skin tone quite nicely. It's refreshing to see someone else of taste around here," the queen spat, looking at the girls that walked past us.

"You know, my sons give me quite the headache. It's sad to see them waste their time on girls gawking over them, just hungry to have their cherry popped."

My eyes practically popped out of their sockets. Damn, she really just said that.

"I completely understand. Half the girls here basically shoved me out of the way, to get a spot closer to the staircase when you all arrived," I said.

The Queen glanced up at me once more and scanned me head to toe, "I see." She sighed and smiled as she watched her sons dance, "I don't blame them though. I did raise them after all. So they truly are the best prizes to be won." Ahhh a mother and her sons.

"They are very well-mannered indeed, your majesty," I say, lying through my teeth.

"You know," she began, "I am impressed with you Miss Hart. You're the first person to come talk to me all night. Seems like most of the ladies here aren't brave enough to have a chat with me."

I was practically pissing myself with anxiety this entire conversation, but that was the nicest compliment I could've expected from the Queen.

"W-why thank you," I curtsied to her once more. It felt needed.

She smiled at me like she was planning something, and then motioned at someone in the crowd to come to her. Soon enough, Kalum appeared from the crowd with a subtle look of displeasure creep onto his face.