The man standing in front of Janessa was tall, with light brown hair. It looked like he was wearing an officer’s dress uniform, a few medals glinting against the light of the ballroom. “May I have this dance?” The man asked. Nervously, Janessa took his hand and he led her to an open section of the dance floor.
Music echoed from the front of the room as the couples slowly began to sway back and forth. Janessa was tense at first, remembering the last night in the palace, but the nobleman, who introduced himself as Sven, was polite and calm, and slowly she relaxed. Janessa had become used to being in a man’s arms over the time she had spent in the harem.
Lilia walked by and gave Janessa a reassuring smile as she made her way through the crowd as the song came to an end, and the former prince took a deep breath as Sven released her and took a step back. Her heart was still racing. Antyny is many, many miles away. There is nothing he can do to you. Janessa thought to herself, trying to soothe herself.
The dances continued, and after sitting a few out Janessa allowed herself to be coaxed back out onto the dance floor. Lilia seemed to guess how nervous Janessa was feeling, and her brother Arne was soon dancing with her. Arne was already married, but he seemed to exude a sense of calmness and peace that reassured Janessa everything would be okay.
Janessa felt much better after dancing with the princess’ brother, and several other men shared dances with her as well. Sven had rejoined her, and the two talked quietly as the songs being played became longer and slower.
After the main section of the dance, many of the couples made their way to a series of tables to continue talking. Servants were passing out glasses of wine that had been imported from one of the southern kingdoms, and Janessa eagerly accepted one. It was a wonderful drink, and she let out a happy sigh as she sipped it.
Sven began to tell Janessa a story about a hunting trip he’d been on in the far northern reaches of the kingdom, an area that saw light only a few hours a day in the fall and almost none in the winter. It was a desolate, lonely place where it was rumored only the strongest animals could survive.
Janessa listened, fascinated as he described the journey. Karagot didn’t have any place like what he was describing, and she wondered what it would have been like to travel there back when she was still the prince.
A hour or two passed, and it was starting to get late. Janessa had accepted many of the glasses of wine the servants had offered, and now she was slightly drunk. She giggled and clung to Sven’s arm, unconsciously falling back into her past behavior.
Arne, passing by the table, gave the young nobleman a stern look, and gestured for him to take Janessa on a walk to help her sober up. The two were soon outside making their way back towards the palace, the cool night air slowly helping Janessa focus.
As they reached the palace gates, Sven wished Janessa a good night, and asked if he might call on her again soon. The redhead hesitated for only a second before she embraced the nobleman. It’s just to follow Greta’s plan, she thought to herself as they slowly, reluctantly broke the embrace. It’s not like being a woman is starting to feel normal…right?
The next morning Greta had joined Janessa in her quarters, sunlight streaming in through the open window. The other woman had a satisfied look on her face; while Janessa had been talking to Sven, she and Leonid had been having sex back in her room.
“So?” Greta asked eagerly. “How was the ball?”
Janessa quietly described everything that had happened, Greta listening carefully as she mentioned her conversations with Sven. The two sat there quietly as she finished, the only noise being the sounds of birds singing in the trees nearby.
“Did you have fun?” Greta finally asked, and Janessa had to admit she had enjoyed the ball a lot. She hoped there would be another one soon.
Next……