The Warlock (BxB)

Chapter 46

Prince Casimir looked at himself in the mirror as he wore the red, white, and gold outfit he was told to wear to the ball. His sister provided him with the outfit and instructed him to wear it tonight. The day of the ball had already arrived, and while Casimir was dressed the part, he wasn't ready. Tonight, he would be forced to choose someone to marry. If he didn't make the choice, then his mother surely would for him.

With a sigh, Casimir left his room. Whether he was ready for this or not, he didn't have a choice. His only choice tonight would be to choose who he spent the rest of his life with. Casimir prayed something would happen to prevent him from having to make that choice. Somehow, he wanted this party to be ruined. If he had more time, he would have found a way to ruin the festivities. It was too late to ask his parents to delay the ball.

When he glanced out one of the windows, he could see that plenty of guests were beginning to arrive. Most of them were noble families with daughters, hoping to sell their daughters to work their way into the royal family. The nobility made him laugh. They were always trying to get in the good graces of the royal family. Well, tonight, one of them will get their lucky break.

Casimir arrived late to the party, but he didn't care. His mother expected him to be there before the guests arrived so that he could be at the front of the line greeting them. When he finally joined his family, he could see his mother fuming, but she tried to hide her irritation with a friendly smile. His parents and brothers were there, but Selene wasn't among them. When it came to parties like this, his sister was usually never late. He wondered where she was.

Unlike the rest of his family, Casimir couldn't pretend to be happy. He greeted the guests with a small smile and made friendly conversation with the ones who stopped to introduce their daughters to them, but it was hard to fake and pretend that he was excited to be there. Most of the nobility had heard the rumors about his sexuality, and he was only proving those rumors to be true by not taking an interest in any of the ladies who were introduced to them. Casimir could hardly muster the energy to care, though. He glanced at his mother, who was only growing more irritated by the second.

When the queen had the chance to speak to Casimir without any guests hearing, she commanded, "At least pretend as though you want to get to know these people. All of these people came to see you, so act like you care a little bit. Don't embarrass us."

Before Casimir could retort, he was surprised when Oliver was the one who spoke up for him. Nervously at first, Oliver said, "Mother, with all respect, you are going against Casimir's wishes. I-I don't understand why you're being so forceful with him. I know you want us to marry, but perhaps you're pushing it too far this time."

Oliver's response was a shock to all of them. The second prince always followed their parent's orders and believed that their word was law. He never spoke out against them, even if some of the things they said or did were questionable. He especially kept his mouth shut when it came to marriage and finding the best spouse. Unlike the rest of his siblings, Oliver didn't believe that love was necessary. Speaking up about this wasn't like him.

However, the queen didn't let his words faze her. "Oliver, I'm doing this for the benefit of our kingdom and to get the church to back down."

"Then fake this marriage. Don't force him to marry someone he doesn't love. We can pretend until things settle down with the church," Oliver shot back.

"That's . . . not a bad idea. Honey, I think you should listen to your children. I have been silent about this until now, but this isn't what we want for our children. They're supposed to find happiness, like we always agreed on in the past." Finally, the king spoke up. King Lucas stayed silent before, hoping that the queen and his children could resolve this issue without him stepping in. Since Lillian didn't seem like she was willing to listen to them, it was about time Lucas brought her back to the light.

Gently, the king took his wife's hand. He gave her a small smile and asked, "Why are you so adamant about Casimir's marriage? There's something you're not telling us. If you're honest, then we can solve this together as a family, like we always did before."

Lillian looked down, then let out a sigh. "We'll talk later. Let's just get through this night, and then I'll tell you everything."

For now, this conversation was over, but the ball was still waiting to commence. The crown prince was grateful that his little brother, who had never stood up for him before, was willing to speak up now. He leaned in close to Oliver and whispered only loud enough for him to hear, "Thank you."

Oliver blushed and looked away. "D-don't think that I did this to be kind. I was just tired of seeing that stupid miserable look on your face."

Prince Casimir smiled to himself. While Oliver wouldn't admit it, he spoke up for more than that reason. He was only trying to act tough, but deep down, Oliver could be caring. Sometimes.

They continued to greet a few more guests until it seemed as though everyone had arrived. Selene and Sabastian were still nowhere to be seen, and Casimir felt his heart sink when Logain didn't arrive either. Perhaps the warlock was too afraid to attend the festivities. After all, Casimir was supposed to find a bride during the ball. He didn't blame Logain for not wanting to attend.

Casimir turned to join the rest of the guests as he was expecting to, but before he did, he caught sight of two more people arriving. He was a bit disappointed when he saw his sister and her husband. Selene caught his eye, giving him a big grin when she noticed him looking at her. Sebastian smiled at him as well, but his smile was a little more anxious.

"You're late," Casimir teased, even though he wasn't feeling up to it. Out of all his siblings, he got along with his sister the most.

"Yes, well, there was something important we needed to do before coming," Selene responded, the smile never leaving her face.

Casimir was curious, but he couldn't muster up the energy to ask what she was up to. He was feeling down and wasn't in the mood for conversation. Instead of ignoring her, he said, "Perhaps we should join the others. Mother won't be particularly happy knowing that you two were the last to arrive. It doesn't look good for the royal family's reputation."

The princess rolled her eyes at the last part. She knew Casimir didn't take it that seriously, but she knew he was in a sour mood. His attitude would change in a few moments, though. "Wait, just hold on for a moment."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

His question was answered soon after as one last guest arrived.

Casimir's eyes went wide as the last person stepped through the doors of the palace. Regardless of how he dressed, Casimir knew who he was looking at. His red hair was longer, most likely from extensions, but his bangs still covered his right eye to hide that he was a halfling. The dress he wore was soft pink and flowy, and the bodice was decorated with white and red flowers to match Casimir's outfit. The sleeves were short, but a sheer fabric flowed behind him. His makeup made him look feminine, which would fool anyone who didn't know him. Logain couldn't meet the prince's eyes, embarrassed to be dressed like this.

When the warlock finally did look up at him, he blushed at how Casimir was staring at him. "D-don't stare. This is embarrassing enough to dress like this."

"I-I'm sorry. I'm just . . . shocked. You look beautiful, Logain." Casimir couldn't tear his eyes away from him. The prince blushed as well. Logain looked good in a dress.

The prince held his arm out for Logain to take. Shyly, the warlock did. Prince Casimir was the star of the ball tonight, and all eyes would be on them. Knowing that so many people would be watching them made Logain nervous. He hoped no one would be able to see through his disguise. Selene did a good job of making him look like a woman, but if someone recognized him besides the people he trusted, then they could blow his cover.

"Don't leave my side tonight, please. If my parents want me to choose someone to marry, then they'll get their wish tonight." Casimir smiled at Logain. With the warlock by his side, he found his confidence once again.

Logain nodded, blushing once more. He had no intention of leaving Casimir. Tonight, if things went according to plan, they would be officially engaged. With his head held high, Logain joined Casimir among the crowd of nobles.