How To Sneak Into a Ballroom

Ultimately, we returned to Val’s room and he left to start his day of work. I was left to my thoughts as I paced the length of the room.

This isn’t so bad. I mean, like Val said, there’s a chance that these are merely shallow feelings spurred on by the fact that they want him to marry soon. But that doesn’t change the fact that Val doesn’t seem too attracted to any of the ladies they introduced him to.

Aside from, apparently, Grand Duke Lias’ daughter.

But even then, he merely mentioned how beautiful and lovely she was upon meeting; those feelings are just as shallow as the ones spurred on by the maid or by the gardener. The solution here is a simple one. We must figure out who Val can truly fall in love with! I know Val’s father… ok-ish. surely he wouldn’t mind if he married a commoner for love… It’s good for the cameras.

Footsteps outside the door halt my movements. I look towards the door and in comes Mrs. June and Ms. Layla.

“Hello, Princess!” June coos. I glare at her. Even if I got valuable information from our impromptu walk this morning, I still can’t believe she gave him a leash!

“Someone seems grumpy!” Layla giggles, pushing a cart into the room. I can see the silver dishes on top which can only mean one thing…

“Dinner time for our Prince’s beloved Princess!” Layla sings, placing the dish on the floor.

I dart over to see an exquisitely prepared fish flourished with veggies on the side. Ahhh, the perks of being a rich boy’s cat!!

As I begin eating, Layla stands up and fiddles with something I can’t see on the cart.

“I can’t believe so many important people came in tonight, it’s really overwhelming.” Layla admits. “I’m kinda glad I got called away to come feed the cat.”

“Well tonight is important for the Prince.” June responds. “Many families sent their daughters to try and impress him…”

What? They’re having a party of some kind to get Val to choose a bride? Am I understanding this correctly? Why didn’t he say anything?!

“I feel a bit bad for Prince Valentine. I couldn’t stand the pressure of just standing there to look pretty. I couldn’t imagine having to be there to essentially pick a blind date…”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine, he’s always been a mature kid and now he’s a mature young man. He’ll do what’s best.”

“Won’t Grand Duke Lias’ daughter be here? He seemed to like her a bit.”

Gulping down the last of my meal, I look back up at the two maids and meow. I think I’ve heard enough to know where this is going.

“Oh, good kitty! You ate it all up.” Layla coos, petting my head and taking the dish away from me. She turns back to the cart and cleans up a bit before pushing the cart away.

“Honestly, I’m not sure if it was the daughter he was interested in. He kept stealing glances at the son. I know they used to be friends, but…”

The door closes and their conversation becomes muffled as they walk away.

So then, that’s what’s going on tonight? Not only is it a matter of them playing matchmaker with Val, but Marius and Janice might be here. Or maybe just Janice? But, did the maid suggest that Val was making googly eyes at Marius the last time they were here? That guy’s a jerk! He already hurt Val once, if he shows up tonight—

I can’t let him ruin Val’s night!

I turn towards the window, eyeing the latch. I don’t do this often since the ledge is narrow, but this is an emergency! My Prince needs me! I leap up and detach the latch. The window swings open and the pleasant night air fills the room. I take a deep breath, satisfied with my work. Using the corner of a blanket to keep the window open, but closed enough not to be suspicious, I sneak my way out onto the ledge and trot in the general direction of the event hall.

The event hall is a large area, much like many ballrooms you’d read about in stories. The area is two stories, but the second floor is more like a balcony that overlooks the rest of the space. Since I’m already on the second floor, this should be the best way for me to sneak into the ballroom.

Luckily for me, the glass door of the balcony that overlooks the palace entrance is open; score!

I slip right in, ducking under a tablecloth near the railings. From there it’s easy to peer down and immediately spot Vallie, standing before the crowd, greeting those as they come in. As people pass, Val continuously sneaks glances in one direction before refocusing. Following the line of sight, two people stand off to the side; a young man that looks like he might be taller than Val with black hair slicked back neatly, dressed like he’s trying to upstage Val and a young lady with beautiful, silky long black hair that frames her face perfectly wearing a gorgeous but simple purple ball gown. Those must be the Lias siblings.

…

If my Prince truly does have a crush in either one of them, or even both of them…

I fear my Prince’s type is very blatantly obvious. Really, Val? Why do they all have black hair?

I need to get closer so I can hear what Val is saying. Luckily, I spot a place I can hide pretty easily behind Val; if I make it to those curtains behind Vallie, I’ll be able to more easily move around and hide downstairs.

Thankfully, there’s no servants upstairs. I’m able to dart down the stairs and behind the curtains undetected! I think, at least.

“It’s time for his royal highness to pick his partner for the first dance of the night!” An announcer says, and the room goes dead quiet as everyone holds their breath.

Val straightens his posture and begins to enter the crowd, making a show of looking around, before stopping before Janice and offering a hand to her.

“Might I have this dance?” He asks, a small smile and deliberately avoiding looking at Marius.

She smiles back sweetly, but before she can take his offered hand, Marius snatches Val’s hand, forcing him to make startled eye contact.

“You’ll have to dance with me first if you want to dance with my sister.” He says in a voice much smoother and deeper than what I was expecting.

Hushed gasps and whispers flood the room, everyone unsure of this sudden turn of events.

Val clearly spends a minute scanning Marius’ face before nodding.

“Then, I agree. I shall dance with you and then Janice.”

Marius clearly wasn’t expecting him to accept, but plays it off well enough. The pair turn to the center of the room and get into position, only moving when the music begins. All eyes are on the pair, and from the glances at Val’s face I can steal, it’s obvious he has a lot to say to this guy— but with all eyes on him, he can’t quite divulge anything. At this moment, I felt bad for both of them. I’m sure the last time they met they also didn’t have time to talk, just the two of them. Val misses his friend—his crush?— and wants to make it right between them. The question is, does Marius feel the same way? Marius clearly also has something he wants to say, but he doesn’t wear his emotions on his sleeve. I can’t tell what he’s thinking.

I can’t hear it, but I can see Val start speaking.

“There’s… a lot I want to tell you.” Val says, voice low.

“I’m sure.” Marius says, avoiding eye contact. “I don’t want to hear it.”

“Marius…”

“You have a lot to say but most of it is valueless.”

“I miss you.”

Marius flinches, but still doesn’t make eye contact.

“And?”

“…and I’m sorry.”

“…you probably don’t even realize what you did wrong.”

“Still, I hurt you when I didn’t want to. I’m sorry.”

“I don’t want your apology.”

“…then, what do you want?”

Marius pauses, finally making eye contact with Valentine.

“I want you to stay away from my sister.”

I can’t hear a thing from here, but I see Val’s expression fall. He quickly recovers, but my heart still hurts. MY POOR PRINCE! Marius better not be bullying him. They seem to stop talking not long before they decide to split, bowing to each other. All attention split as well, everyone pairing off and enjoying their own selected partners. Instead of going off with another partner, or even inviting Janice for a dance, Val slips away, unwilling to do more.

Therefore, as his loyal pet, I followed him.

Up the stairs and out onto the balcony, Val takes long strides until he comes to a stop and leans against the railing, looking out over the view. Slipping back the way I came, I watch him sulk a bit, rubbing the back of his neck as he stares at nothing in particular. Well, nothing’s stopping me now!

“Mew!”

My little bid for attention seems to have immediately put me on Val’s radar, his head whipping around as I stride confidently out onto the balcony with a bit of pep in my step. I only stop to begin rubbing my head against his leg, Val chuckling above me.

“Princess, what are you doing here? You’ll get in trouble if someone spots you!” Even as he chastises me, he reaches down to pet my head and, ultimately, lifts me from the ground.

Purring in his arms, I don’t stop my snuggles, successful in bringing a smile to my Prince’s face.

“You always seem to know just when I need a pick-me-up. Thanks, kitty.”

The sad look returns to his eyes, but someone clears their throat behind him. Turning thinking he’d just been caught, he’s greeted by Janice.

“Is… that your cat?” She asks, cautiously.

“Oh, yes.” Val recomposes himself once he sees it’s not a caretaker. “Seems she’s snuck out of her room.”

“I see.” Janice fidgets with her dress before dropping her hands in front of her.

“Is there something I can help you with?” Val asks, turning to fully face her. “I must return Princess before she gets caught by a maid. Those girls can be pretty harsh on her.”

“Oh, it’s fine.” Janice doesn’t make eye contact. “I just… seem to remember being promised a dance after my brother.” She glances back to Val briefly before looking away again.

“Ah.”

“You’ll return, yes? Shall I wait?”

“…Well, you see…”

“Marius said something weird, didn’t he?”

When Val doesn’t respond immediately, Janice sighs.

“He’s always been weird about you, even when we were kids.” She starts, fidgeting with her hands again. “I’ll be upfront. I’ve had a crush on you since we were children. Marius acted normally about all of us hanging out and being friends until I confided that in him one day. All of a sudden, he began acting more and more cagey about letting me around you when we all went to hang out and play. Admittedly, it made me pretty mad, so I threw a bit of a tantrum directed at him one day. I don’t know if his acting out is related to that from when we were kids, but if it is, I apologize for his behavior.”

“Oh, no! You shouldn’t apologize!” Val is quick to reassure the girl. “His behavior isn’t… well at least, it’s not fully because of you. It might be related though.”

“So there was something that happened back then—! I knew it, what did Marius do? Why did we stop visiting?”

“Well, Marius isn’t the one at fault…”

“I don’t care, what did he—“

“Janice.”

And just like that, the man of the hour steps forward, revealing his, unfortunately, handsome face. Marius glares from Janice to Val.

“…We should get going.”

“No, I’m not leaving! I want to spend time with—“

“We have to leave.” Marius cuts in, side eyeing Val. “There’s no reason to hang around him any longer.”

Marius grabs Janice’s arm and begins to drag her out, much to her annoyance, when Val’s hand snaps out and grabs Marius’ wrist. The taller boy flinches, turning involuntarily to lock eyes with Val—who looks distraught. Somehow, Marius’ stern features crack into something… softer, seeing his expression.

“Marius, please.” Val’s voice cracks, my own heart cracking at the sound. “I…”

Val pauses. His faltering is enough for Marius to regain control of his expression and yank his arm back.

“We’re leaving.”

Marius herds Janice out, who puts up a fuss the whole time. For a split second though, I thought I saw her make eye contact with me… huh wait what? Why would she look at me?

Wh-whatever! That’s not important right now. I look back up at Val, who holds me closer to his chest, chuckling without any humor.

“…I thought maybe if I was straightforward too, something would change. I couldn’t even get out a word…”

Oh, Vallie…

I rub my head against his cheek, and he holds me closer. My poor Val, being treated like this by an ex-friend…

I hope one day, they can talk it out. For Val’s sake, I don’t care much for that Marius kid!