Louis' pov

Loud sounds of chatter buzzed around Louis' ears as he sat at the head table, between the two Marquesses. He could see the occasional hostile glances from the gentlemen around; but who could blame them? He was, after all, a Prince and he deserved to sit at the head table more than any of the baffoons here.

"Your highness," the Marquess beside him began, his voice imitating that of an educated individual. "I've heard you are planning to buy a patch of land bordering your kingdom. Wouldn't that make it the eleventh largest in the country?"

Louis sighed. Who said he wanted to buy anything? All he wanted to do was eat his chicken.

Doing some calculations in his head, he replied, "Yes, it seems so." What bordering land? Did father plan to buy some of the dry patches and renew them or the more green ones towards the south? He needed to find out more about what was going on in his kingdom if he wanted people to believe him.

The Marquess continued making small talk and Louis did his best to reply and eat at the same time. Why did anyone introduce talking while eating? The Marquess on his other side was lord Edwin himself. He, mercifully, left Louis on his own and instead chatted up with the Prince.

"Prince Louis, how are you liking your stay here?" The king asked after some time and Louis turned to him.

He smiled brightly and replied, "Your kingdom is wonderful. I love the spices you use in your food. The people are, of course, wonderful too."

He wanted to scoff. As much as the food was good, the people were horrid. They had absolutely no manners whatsoever and treated everything with a certain casualty. He detested it. For the sake of the people of Solis, he wished he could reside over both the kingdoms. It would do them some good. Teach them some behavioral conduct. It was of utmost importance.

"I am delighted to hear this. Truly." The king returned.

Louis raised an eyebrow. "Maybe you could also expect some trade between out kingdoms. I, personally would be overjoyed to see where this leads us."

The king gave out a hearty laugh. "Of course, why not? That would be truly excellent."

He smiled in return and was about to go back to his food when the queen asked, "What are your plans for when you become king?"

Louis almost grinned at her. This was the one thing he always thought about. He had always adored talking about his plans for his beloved kingdom and how he would help the people. Reining in his excitement, he said, "I am still in the process of figuring everything out but I was thinking something along the lines of providing shelter for the orphans and providing them with food and other necessities. And after that, maybe –" He had to be careful here. "maybe implement a law that would bring security to single mothers."

He was met with silence. Maybe he shouldn't have said that. No, he shouldn't have said that all, he thought, looking down at his plate, his smile disappearing. Why did he have to mess everything up? It was all going perfectly well. Now they would think he's a sympathizer to whores and dollymops.

With weary eyes, he looked back up to see the Queen actually smiling. "Bravo, your highness." She said. "Your ideals are to be complimented. I'm sure you would be a great king one day."

Red tinged his cheeks. "Thank you, your majesty." His response was soft, said with reverence. He didn't think he had ever been given a better compliment.

He could feel the glares around him but he didn't care. He was looking down, a soft smile of his lips. He was glad somebody thought so. He was glad somebody believed in him. He could be a great King one day. He was going to do everything in his power to make sure it happened.

Soon, they had finished their dinner and the dancing was about to commence. The King gestured for Gemma to pick a gentleman of choice and she looked around the table. Louis smiled down at his hands, knowing she was going to pick him. After all, he was clearly the one her parents approved of most. Besides, he was charming and gorgeous. Only a daft man doesn't know the desire he holds. And Louis was anything but daft.

He looked up as Gemma smiled at him. He smiled back at her, the skin beside his eyes crinkling before she turned away to look at the Marquess, her lips parting to say, "Lord Edwin, would you honor me with a dance?"

Louis held himself back from gaping at her. What was this blasphemy? Was she teasing him? Or was she rebelling against her parents? He wouldn't put it past the people of this kingdom. But he put a small, amused smile on his face, knowing the entire table was looking at him, along with the Marquess. He tilted his head to the side, gazing up at the lord. He looked surprised and beside him, the Prince was perhaps even more. He gave Louis an amused smile, clearly enjoying the events that had just taken place. His blood boiled.

He thought maybe he had made some progress with the Prince the day before but no. The Prince was as insolent as usual. It was frankly frustrating. He knew he had to win him over and it was proving to be quite a task.

The Marquess stood up, accepting the offer. He offered his hand and the Princess took it, smiling as he gently pressed his lips against it. And so the dance commenced.

...

Louis held a lady in his arms as he glided around the dance floor, her dress sweeping the marble floor. The light shined on the diamonds embedded in the dress, sending rays of reflected rainbow light on the pillars around. She was the daughter of a duke and her movements proved it. She moved with a grace that only higher royalty had and he admired it.

The music stopped, the dance coming to an end. He dipped his head as she bowed down, greeting each other a goodbye. He glanced around the room and noticed a young lady, standing in the corner. Clearly, she had just been introduced to the court and he felt like doing somebody a favor.

He walked towards her, smiling as her face lit up with shock. She fumbled with her dress, keeping the glass of wine aside. He approached her, whispers flying all around him. Offering her a hand, he asked, "Would you honor me with a dance?"

"Yes! Uh... I mean yes, yes of course. I would love to." She fumbled through the sentence and Louis gave out a low chuckle.

Holding her hand in his, he guided her to the dance floor. A slow beat sounded and the music began as he wrapped a hand around her waist, the other holding hers. They glided along the hall with the other dancers, her feet not quite with as practiced grace as the others but still managing to be elegant.

As the music was coming to an end, she smile up shyly at him and said, "I just wanted to let you know that I don't believe them. I don't believe the things they are saying."

He frowned at her. Lifting up her face with a finger under her chin, he smiled at her and asked, "Whatever do you mean?

Just as the final beats of the song sounded, she replied, "They say that you are a rake. But I know that is not true. You couldn't possibly be one." Her cheeks tinged red. "You are so kind and gentle. Of course you couldn't be one."

Louis' heart thudded in his chest and he felt nauseous. As the other dancers around him bowed, he thanked the lady for the dance, barely able to breathe. She smiled happily, oblivious to the internal storm going on in his mind. He couldn't dance anymore nor pretend to be charming. He made his way to a table and grabbed a drink. He recalled the first ball he had attended in the kingdom of Solis and felt a severe déjà vu. Doing the same thing he did the last time, he walked towards the open balcony doors, heading out in the dark.

He turned around for a moment, his eyes resting on a dancing couple. He was about to turn back when he felt a pair of jade eyes on him. Feeling suddenly ill, he twisted to rest his arms on the railing, looking out in the starry night, the moon shining down on him.

A/N: Hope you liked the chapter! We are finally back on schedule so let's hope it remains that way. What do you think the Prince and the Marquess' plan was? Do you think they started it yet? Let me know what you think!

Also, if you liked the chapter, please vote and comment to let me know. It keeps me going, knowing that you guys are liking the stuff I write. Thank you for everything!

Love,
Artemis.