Lies Dressed In Lace

Lessons Not Learned

Chapter 11 Lessons Not Learned

    After a while I spot Sia through the dancers, before I can think I'm up out of my seat and dodging dancers as I chase after her. She stands there at the edges of the crowd watching me make my way to her scarcely blinking afraid I'll loose her. I reach her quickly grabbing her arm as if she'll try to run now. She doesn't, she lets me hold her here, with a smile. "I saw you talking to my father, witch." I spit the name Carver called her in her face.

    "I know, I had to." She takes my hand, "You did so wonderfully, I am so proud that you won, I knew you would." I yank away from her as if she'd burned me.

    "I don't need your pride it means nothing to me after what you did." I turn to go but she grabs my arm and tugs me outside into the chilled garden.

    "I'm sorry, is that what you want to hear? That I feel terrible for betraying you like that, but I had to Syl." She tries to reason with me but I can't take it, I can't take another betrayal not from her.

    "I just want to know why you did it."

    "My father, he wanted me to become Valtok's second because that would mean I could get close to the king to kill him, and when you were winning I had to try to sabotage it so my father wouldn't suspect me of helping you. I did it to cover you because he wouldn't have stopped at killing me he would have taken you out with me, he has his own assassin that no one knows about. Syl you have to believe me I did this for you." I shake my head.

    "You did this for you and almost ruined me in the process." I leave before she can stop me again slipping back into the ball I bump into Leon, the boy I met at the last ball who called himself a Duke. "Hi!" I say brightly using him as a shield from Sia trying to grab me again.

    "Hello to you too, fancy meeting you at a ball honoring you." He winks making me laugh.

    "I haven't seen you around, don't tell me you only came here for me?" I ask but he shakes his head.

    "Oh no I had some business in the market but I heard of this ball and just had to see you again especially after such an achievement, I was almost surprised to hear my little princess becoming an assassin!" He laughs joking but I can see the disbelief in his eyes.

    "Well here I am, assassin title and all." I say slightly rude and tired as all hell of people doubting me like this.

    "I'm glad, I'd love to dance with you again but I have to get going the wife is waiting for me." He winks and disappears. I sigh deciding to stay on the outskirts of the dancers and lean against the marble walls.

    "I couldn't help but notice you here all by yourself." Valtok says leaning on the wall next to me.

    "Really? I thought I was being invisible." I grumble.

    "Obviously," He winks, "So what are you doing pouting over here? This is your celebration." I shrug

    "First I'm not pouting and second why would we have a ball so people know my face? Aren't I supposed to kill people?" I grumble. He snickers and puts his arm around me.

    "You're definitely pouting, come on." He says pulling me with him onto the dance floor.

    "I thought you didn't dance?"

    "When did I say that?" He says casually leading me into a dance flawlessly.

    "I assumed since you're the expert on death, fun wasn't something you knew."

    "Feisty tonight aren't we?" I roll my eyes.

    "Yep, betrayal does that to a person." He laughs