The Sapphire Pendant

Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Adeline

                I stood next to my sisters watching as elaborately dressed royal guests circled around us.  We were standing next to the thrones in the front of the ballroom.  We stood in a line, I was towards the end.  I stood next to King Felix who was failing to engage me in some kind of conversation about alliances.  I caught Prince Joshua side-glancing at my sisters and me.  I shot him a look.  He stared at me with a puzzled look, obviously no remembering what happened last night.  I glanced away.

                “Go girls, you don’t have to stand here all night,” Father told us, gesturing to the dance floor.

                I rolled my eyes and sat down on my throne in the front.  I crossed my legs under my velvet dress.  It was the same dress I wore to Market Day.  I leaned the rest of my weight on the elbow I was leaning on the armrest.  I looked out the floor length windows seeing the moon, yawning.  If it wasn’t for this dance I would be fast asleep.

                I watched as my two eldest sisters dancing it with two random men from Earth Kingdom.  I smirked.  Leave it to Estelle and Angelica to pick up random men just to dance with them.

                Penny was standing towards to the side talking to Sir Steven.  I laughed out loud.  The people around me looked around to see what was funny but quickly gave up, going back to their meaningless small talk.

                “What is so funny?” a voice asked.  I looked up, it was Prince Joshua. 

                “Nothing of your concern,” I replied, my eyes flashing.

                He sat down on Penny’s throne and looked into my eyes studying me.  I stared right back.  I cocked an eyebrow at him, hoping to make him mad enough to leave me alone.  No such luck, however.

                “Aren’t you supposed to be circulating around conversing with my sisters, not just to me,” I said crossing my arms, cocking my head.  I felt my tiara slip slightly, I knew it must look crooked but I didn’t care.  Prince Joshua reached up fixing it, he didn’t move it roughly but it was enough to move my but slightly to the side.  His brows furrowed in mock concentration.  He stood up looking down at me as I looked back with surprise.

                “We haven’t had a complete conversation yet,” he corrected me.  I raised my eyebrows at the small truth in his words.

                “Are you almost done?” I snapped, annoyed that he would even dare to touch me while I was seething at him.

                “No,” he said.  I saw it in his eyes that he was enjoying my annoyance with him.  This only irritated me farther.

Prince Joshua reached into a pouch that hung from his belt looped around his tunic.  He extracted a silver chain with a rather large diamond hung from it.

“This is just for you,” he murmured looking at my face for some kind of gracious expression he expected from me.  Clearly, he didn’t know me at all.  Still, I accepted the necklace with a blank expression.

“All right,” I said leaning on my other elbow, “are you done know?”   I slipped on the necklace just to make him leave.  I narrowed my eyes at him as I un-tucked my hair from underneath my chain.

                “Fine,” he said raising his hands as he walked back to the dance floor, “but I’ll be back though.”

                I watched him as he made his way to Angelica and Estelle.  I noticed that he walked by Penny and Steven, not bothering to bother Penny even he could sense they were in some kind of relationship.  I heard a high pitched squeal and pealing laughter.