The Heir and her Guard

Chapter 12

The evening went on, until it was finally time for a slow dance. Jane was very thankful to her father for not organising a dance with just herself and Mike, for she feels that'd be very awkward not only for them but the guests as well.

Instead the woman and men at the ball got into pairs, either as friends or partners or sometimes even strangers.

Max personally hated dancing, it's not like she wasn't good at it, she was given very specific lessons about each movement, but it's just never been something she's enjoyed. Possibly because she has yet to find the right partner.

Many foreign princes used their status to almost force the princess to dance, but Max was there to stop them if they crossed the line.

Jane looked upset, the only people who wanted to dance were the desperate princes who wanted nothing more but her body. What she really cherished for was someone to love her heart, her soul. But she had not yet found someone who filled this role.

With each passing day she felt more afraid of what was to come. Perhaps she should give up looking for love and instead focus on her country's need, just as her mother and father asked for, or rather demanded.

But it's not what she wanted, but it seemed like her personal desires were second to the crown.

Despite all her troubles with finding a partner, she was determined to not pursue one with Michael, as it was clear that him and her twin brother had a bond that was far more than just platonic. Maybe they would fall in love, Jane would be happy seeing her brother be happy.

Anyway, back to the ball.

Max noticed Jane looking disappointed, so she headed over and smiled slightly before offering her one of her hands.

"May I have this dance?" Max asked politely.
Jane looked up at her, confused, but nodded either way. "You may."

Max gave a small bow and hand in hand they walked to the dance floor where the other couples danced. They got in the right position and began to slowly move to the calm music, matching with the surrounding people.

"Why are you doing this?" Jane asked, one arm around Max's neck as the other held her hand.
Max furrowed her eyebrows, her free hand on Jane's waist. "What are you talking about?"
"Dancing, with me. You always say how much you despise dancing, and yet here you are. Doing it in your own will."

The guard rolled her eyes despite the small smile creeping onto her lips, "Is it forbidden to simply dance with my friend? Plus, it seemed like you needed a good partner."
She nodded, "The other princes were quite annoying." She said in a hushed tone to assure no one else could listen into their conversations.

Max chuckled, "I'm aware. I've spent half the night making sure no one else puts their hands on you."
"No one else?" Jane asked, surprising herself with how intrigued she was at this choice of wording, or just a simple mistake.

The red head couldn't avoid the blush creeping onto her cheeks, but she managed to make it look not so noticeable. "Well, yes. No one else would be correct since I have my hands on you right now." She said with a sarcastic smile, silently begging Jane wouldn't notice the blush.

Luckily she didn't, and instead she scoffed. "You and your bloody sarcasm." She muttered.

Eventually the song seemed to come to a stop, and Max let go of Jane, allowing her to go back to where she was originally. To her surprise however, Jane seemed to be most comfortable staying by her side, perhaps to avoid unnecessary socialisation with the desperate princes, or perhaps to seek comfort in someone she was familiar with, Max will never know.

Max gave the princess a confused glance, when she suddenly realised something.

"Well, won't you look at that. I thought it was odd we were wearing the same colour, and yet here we are wearing practically the exact same shade as the other." Max commented, a smug look on her face at her discovery.

That look soon faded when she remembered something. At this ball, couples were the ones that matched, not a princess and her guard. There's a chance guests will notice, and perhaps comment on it.

They could always say it was an unfortunate closet malfunction, perhaps someone had been planning this.

Just as Max thought of all the countless possibilities, Will and Nancy high-fived each other from the side of the ballroom, glad their plan seemed to work.

Jane looked confused as she put the two fabrics next to each other. "Wow! They really are the same shade!" She exclaimed, finalising Max's answers.

What's the chances their outfits would be exactly the same shade? The guard and the princess? What happened to the princess' original dress?

She turned to Will who had a smirk on his face as he gave her a playful wave.

Will was the one who planned this, Max noticed him speak to the tailor in private, but she assumed it was something to do with either his or her measurements.

She sighed, not wanting to do Will wrong in Jane's eyes. Her eyes glanced to the left and she noticed Nancy with that exact same look on her face.

That explains Jane's side of the incident. Why did they plan this? Sure, maybe it was simply just an innocent prank they decided to pull for no other reason other than amusement, which they seemed to be getting plenty of at the moment. But Max couldn't ignore the other possibility.

Maybe, just maybe, they were hinting to something that could happen. The matching colours was a sign of a romantic relationship, but despite her desires a relationship with the princess outside their mutual trust would shatter her vows towards her country and her promise to stay loyal to both the land and her monarchs. A sign of loyalty was to not break rules, but maybe that's what she had to do.

Maybe personal desires should overtake the crown's desires, just for a moment.