Moonlight Ball

“Her eyesight was bad. I think she had mold on them. But I’ve fixed it now.”

“Why are you doing this?” Another house fairy ran up to her and asked. House fairies only served their owners. They were devoted to their owners alone and selfish beyond that. Iris groaned for a moment and wondered what the fairy would have to say about Anna. Anna was a nobody. Perhaps that was the same case with Rosemary.

“Because it bothers me,” Iris replied.

“If I fix this, it won’t bother you anymore then?”

“Yes,” Iris said, surprised that the fairy showed an interest in helping her. Iris laughed, “Anna’s eyes have been fixed, so nothing will bother me anymore. There is no need to do anything unethical, it’s all over now.” At least that’s what Iris thought…

Exactly an hour before breakfast time, Iris, or “Rosemary’s” husband, Sidrain, arrived with a large number of flower attendants. All she saw were flowers of all shapes and colors as the door opened, and she thought for a moment that this couldn’t be happening. She watched in astonishment as the flowers were carried into her room by the servants.

They changed the old flowers in the vases all at once and brought in extra vases to hold more flowers. Rosemary liked flowers and the room was now full of them. Iris, on the other hand, didn’t like picking flowers for no reason. They looked pretty, but she preferred to leave them outside, alive, and collect them as and when she needed to.

But they did look beautiful as they stood in the vases and the room was soon filled with an array of fresh scents. They smelled so fragrant and Iris closed his eyes without realizing it, feeling as if she were in a magnificent flower garden.

“Hello, Rosemary,” Sidrain said.

Iris heard a sweet voice that sounded as friendly as her teacher. She slowly opened her eyes but they hardened like ice immediately.

“Did you sleep well? Did you have a good dream?” He queried.

The man held a few strands of his hair and kissed them gently; it was the scary and strange man, the King.

***

“I’m sorry for not showing much compassion earlier. It still scares me to think that you fell into the cold Haran’s river and needed help.”

Iris looked at the handsome man with jet-black hair and red eyes, which resembled a madman’s eyes, and she wondered if there was something wrong with him. But she couldn’t fix him like she’d fixed Anna. The King was a swordmaster. He was agile and strong, and would subdue her as soon as she showed any signs of not being who she was supposed to be; she wouldn’t win.

The King whispered, holding a few strands of Iris’s blonde hair and kissing them, “I’m so sorry. I was out of my mind that day. I thought I was going to lose you. I know you must be angry and heartbroken and I’ll take whatever punishment you see fit.”

“First of all…” Iris was looking at Sidrain and her face had gone pale.

Sidrain looked at Rosemary’s face, waiting for her to continue. I didn’t think of her face as pretty before. I’ve felt terrible many times for feeling like this. If I look at her objectively, I know it’s a pretty face, but it’s also quite a boring face. Alas, I guess I wanted to kiss you then, too. I’m glad you fainted. If it weren’t for that, I’d have kissed you. Sidrain stared at Iris’s face, waiting with bated breath for her to continue.

“Will you let go of my hair?” Iris continued, as she pulled back from him. “And why do you keep kissing my hair?”

Sidrain grinned from ear to ear as she crept back and fell onto a chair. He then grabbed the chair and pulled it right up to him in one quick movement. Today for some reason, her face looked gorgeous to him. Was it because he didn’t know what Iris’s face looked like? For him, Iris’s face was now this face, but it had a completely different look to it, although it was still Rosemary’s face. Her thick lips and wide-open eyes seemed to move differently now. Could he teach himself magic control with this face?

“It’s not about kissing the hair so much, but rather about holding it.” He replied, then added, “You shouldn’t have done this.”

The dining table was spacious. It was a long, colorful, grand table that was positioned perfectly in the dining room. The King and the Queen would’ve sat at opposite ends of the table. Even Iris, who knew nothing about this place, knew that much. I’d have eaten outside, she thought.

But as soon as the King saw their meal was ready, he smiled and strode alongside her and then proceeded to sit right next to her at the corner of the table. The King talked incessantly to Iris while his servants served them and their eyes bulged in surprise at his odd behavior. When Iris tried to escape, he yanked her out of the chair and pulled her close to him, “Do I smell good,” he whispered. “Do you like this scent?”