After sending off the last few lingering guests, who remained behind after having too many glasses of wine that night, Lucas and Rose shared exhausted glances, before bursting out laughing.
"Well, that was more tiring than I'd expected," Lucas said, pinching the bridge of his nose as Rose winced, leaning on Lucas for support. "Sore heels?"
"Sore everything," Rose whined, as she stepped out of her heeled shoes and almost cried in relief. "I don't know how they do it, but heels make everything hurt."
"It's probably for the best that we couldn't dance, then," Lucas noted, "Your feet would have fallen off then."
"Well... I'm not wearing heels now," Rose said, wrapping her arms around her fiancé's neck, Lucas raising a brow.
"There's no music," Lucas told her, the two already starting to sway to the phantom tune in their head. Rose laughed as the two danced in the silence of the palace foyer, servants barely glancing at them as they busily tore down all the decorations from the festival, despite it being nearly 4am in the morning. As they twirled around the polished floors, Lucas noticed a shaky figure discreetly moving around the edges of the foyer to the main stairs, black hair unfurled and shoulders hunched.
Keir?
Lucas's movements faltered for a moment, Rose teasing him for his mistaken step, the two continuing their dance. As Keir reached the top of the stairs, his face that was hidden from view by his hair was revealed, and Lucas's heart stopped. Eyes red and blotchy, cheeks wet with tears. Lucas watched in shock as Keir's face, though a mess, remained expressionless and stoic, the man disappearing behind a set of doors leading towards the guest chambers.
Lucas didn't think many things could reduce Keir to such a state, though if he had to hazard a guess, he'd bet that it had something to do with Ahri. Lucas's jaw tightened as he missed another step in the dance, Rose giggling.
"I guess it's time for us to retire, Lucas, your feet can't seem to keep up any longer," Rose grinned, Lucas managing to get out a distracted 'good night' and a small kiss, before he watched Rose happily skipped up the stairs and through the same doors that Keir had passed through moments ago. Same red lips, same porcelain skin and same dark hair, but two completely different feelings. Lucas couldn't forget Keir's crying face even if he tried.
As Lucas climbed into his bed that night, he noticed the light in the stables flickering in the darkness.
~~~
Keir flinched as he felt hands tap his shoulder, whirling around to find Lucas standing there with a chessboard in his hands, a gentle smile on his face. Everyone in the palace had recovered from the night of the festival, hangovers cured and sleep schedules resuming as per normal. Keir had been on edge in the days that had passed, uncharacteristically aware of the whispers that circled him. He was stricken with worry that Ahri, in his spite, would have spread his realisation of Keir's affections throughout the castle.
He was surprised, and tentatively relieved, when no gossip about his predicament reached his ears. Keir hadn't seen Ahri since that night, though that may have been because he avoided the area near the stables like a plague.
He had been seeing a lot more of Lucas recently, however, and Keir wasn't sure what to make of it. It was as if that brief period of coldness had never occurred, their relationship returning to what it was when he first arrived at the castle. Lucas often invited Keir to share a drink with him, play a hand of cards or to accompany him and Rose when they made their daily walk around the castle gardens. Now, Lucas was inviting him to play a game of chess with him, complaining about how Rose was struggling to best him and ended up storming off angrily to her dress fitting.
YOU ARE READING
Snow's White | ✓
Romance[BxB] Prince Lucas thought that life would be perfect when he made Snow White his wife-to-be. At least, that was until her twin brother waltzed into his life and obliterated everything he knew. He had her same pale skin, blood red lips and dark, ebo...
