Under the Water (Book 1)

twelve

"Eh uhm. " I clear my throat and the two turn around. I see Rani's face turn a deep shade of scarlet. Prince Ansell doesn't bat an eye as if he doesnt care that I just saw him kissing a dutchess. But I pretend not to notice.

"I will be going now." Rani excuses herself. I ignore her but inside I am so annoyed. I've never kissed a boy for the reason that I don't have a choice at my life later on. I know one who I might want to though and its definitely not this person or as I hear it said, douche. I laugh at myself and try not to look back at the direction in which Quinn and I were just talking in.

"Scarlett." Ansell says making me whip my head around to the sound of his voice. I keep a straight face at him when he sits down.

"Ansell. So nice to meet you." I say through gritted teeth. He nods and says;

"So we are going to be engaged in a matter of days..." He trails off quietly most likely thinking about it where as I desperately try not to think about it. We sit there for what seems like and is half an hour.

"Yes. Hi I'm Scarlett if you didn't know..." I trail off not knowing what to say to this person. He stares blankly at me. He is so dull, boring, bland even more so that people in the inner circle.

"Look I don't want to be here, and by your look you don't either. Why don't we just meet back here in like an hour before our parents arrive here later. Alright?" He looks at me. Finally this dull person has a good idea. I stalk off and up to my room only to see a note on my dresser saying go into the closet. I cautiously see a note saying lift the flap pointing to a flap. I lift the rather large flap or handle and the wall spirals up to reveal a passageway, dimly lit. I grin. It's a way out. A way I can go see Quinn. I don't even have to leave my room or wait for Kaidenn to go on an adventure.

I decide to investigate the hallway later so I close the door and get rid of the notes along my room or dresser and in my closet. Whoever did this I don't know whether to hug them or behead them for being in my room and going obviously through my stuff. Most likely the hug.

I sit at my desk and pull out my sketchbook that doesn't contain dress designs, only people and nature. I open a new page and walk into my closet, taking the pencil and sketchbook with me. I draw the entrance in great detail before checking the time to make sure that I'm not late for my meeting with Ansell.

The hallway is dark and creepy but I don't find it so creepy and dark after looking at it for a long time. The hallway has no ending that I can see. There are doors not unlike the one I opened lining the hallway. I see dust lining on the floor, except one pair of footsteps. It's too dusty for me not to get dirty and I have to meet Ansell in 5 minutes.

I straighten my dress since I've been sitting on the floor a good 3 quarters of an hour. I close the door look at myself in the mirror checking myself. I look fine but all I want to do is follow those footprints. That is a job for a day I'm not doing anything.

I walk down to the study and see Ansell waiting on me. I nod towards him walking inside and sitting opposite of him on the chair across from the sofa.

"Scarlett you are really beautiful." He flat out states and I respond;

"Thank you. You don't look terrible yourself" I look at my flats away from his gaze. He says to me ignoring my comment.

"You know, if we are to have an arranged marriage then I am glad that I have a beautiful partner." I take a peek at him to see if he's lying or trying to play me but I see neither on his face.

"I don't know much about you Ansell, perhaps you could tell me something about yourself?" I ask. I mean if I'm to be with this person the rest of my fake life then I might as well get to know him.

"Only if you tell me something about you."

"Deal." He clears his throat before starting;

"I play the piano, I fence, and I dance?" He can do all this? Hmmm.

" Well I draw, I play stringed instruments and I happen to love to dance but I can never find a good partner. " I look at him and he holds out his hand;

"Would you like to Dance you're majesty?" I smile and take his hand. I hear a classical string quartet play from the speakers in the ceiling. It's a song that is played at almost every party that we have, the minuet. I dance with him and am quickly impressed of his great skill of dancing. We dance for the song, and then another song and another until we get tired.

I pant, stop dancing, and realize that Ansell is grinning at me. I grin back, happy to know someone who can dance. Kaidenn won't dance nearly as much as he used to.

"You can dance." I breathe in heavily.

"You aren't terrible yourself." He says smiling. We talk about dances for a while and music for a while before our parents come in to hear Ansell on the piano and me listening to him, because he is amazing at it.

"We were going to eat now." Says my father, waiting on us. The silver Queen and King are nice but very plastic. It's dinnertime? Already? That means it's well past 7pm....

Ansell gets off the piano bench and takes my hand. I take it and walk down with him behind our parents to the dining area. He is not at all like I thought he was, first off he is nice. Second he has many talents, and third he is not ugly.

His olive skin and his golden hair is parted to the side but it's perfect. I squeeze his hand and he turns to me giving me a sweet smile that I completely forget about earlier today.

All of us walk into the dining room and sit waiting for food.

"Ansell how do you like it here?" Asks King Aurum, or my dad. Ansell gives a easy smile and replies;

"Wonderful! Its just so much more vivid than the Argentum Imperium. But I think my favorite thing here isn't a thing, but a she." He says glancing at me. I blush furiously looking at my fork and knife on the table laying perfectly.

"Well the engagement is tomorrow so I hope the two of you are ready. I'm so glad this worked out smoothly Ashley (The queen of the Argentum Imperium)." My father says almost fondly. Have they ever met? I thought my father was engaged since he was 5 years old, to my mother? Ansell sends me a squeeze to my hand and I realize that we are still holding hands. However I do nothing to stop this.

The 4 course meal goes fairly well thanks to Ansell helping me and saying funny things to me. Kaidenn usually does this but from now on I won't see him nearly as much, because Ansell will be occupying my time.

Ansell escorts me back to my room late at night after dinner and talking in the sitting room with our parents about tomorrow. He takes my hand up to his lips and softly kisses the back of my hand saying farewell to me. I thank him and enter my chambers quietly to see Ali tidying up my room. I sit at my vanity easily and begin to take all the pins out of my hair.

"Did you enjoy your fiancee's company?" Ail asks helping my take the pins out and grabbing a nightgown from my closet.

"He is very special." I smile thinking about him.

"I can imagine so." She takes off my makeup and leaves me at my vanity soon after saying goodnight to me.

That night when I crawl into bed I think nothing of Quinnson or the mystery hallway, only what tomorrow brings me.