The Selection: Bride Of The Dark Dragon

MIRA

When everything calms down and lady Cecilia comes to her senses, we continue with our lesson. It’s dancing again, of course. Sometimes it seems to me that there would be nothing else in the Gerdian Empire for the girls other than attending balls and being pretty accessories for their husbands.

“Today would be a little different, ladies,” Cecilia smiles and one after another gerdians appear in the ballroom out of dark smoke, “The gerdian lords themselves would be teaching you and checking what you have learned so far! It would also be a brilliant opportunity for you to get to know each other better!”

The gerdians start inviting other girls to dance and taking their position on the dancefloor, waiting for the rest. And, of course, everybody avoids me like the plague. Which is good, really. I just wish they got those empty boxes with them…

Suddenly, I notice one young gerdian walking in my direction. Brave. Very brave. I have to give it to him.

However, Tristan does not let him reach me, “I apologize, my lord. The Crown Prince has ordered that no other Selection participants touch lady Mira in any way. So, I would have to dance with her myself as her guardian.”

“Of course,” the young man nods and disappears in black smoke. And so do others who didn’t get a bride to dance with. There are more of them than us here. So, not everyone gets to take part in the activity.

Tristan bows before me and offers me his hand, which I accept gladly. I’d better spend the next few hours with him than with any of them.

“Did Dargen really say that?” I ask him quietly.

“Not really,” Tristan smirks, “But they are not going to ask him about that. I am sure.”

“My or my!” I giggle, “Tristan Ragnard being rebellious! Now I’ve seen everything!”

Music starts and he presses me harder by my waist against his body, making me gasp. This is actually how the dance is supposed to be. Gerdian dances are more… candid. But I only danced with Tristan our Akyrian modest ones and never saw him from this perspective.

“You haven’t seen much of me,” he says into my ear, lips almost touching my earlobe, “It was my mistake, really…”

“We don’t have to talk about it”, I try to smile, although this feels awkward. I remember how he kissed me the last time he was like this and my cheeks immediately flush.

“This is all I think about it now,” he confesses, “So many mistakes on my part… I had everything but I never realized it…”

“Oh, come on!” I gently pinch his shoulder, “I am sure your mother wasn’t wasting any time and already found you a new brilliant bride.”

“She did,” he nods and I snort, “Three actually. Perfect families, perfect ladies, very eager… I have declined all of them.”

It’s time to twirl while holding his hand and I roll my eyes, “Well, that was stupid! Your mother is very good at picking brides. I should know – she picked me personally!”

“My father picked you”, he smiles looking at me.

“Really? I mean, I know I’ve been a candidate because of our father’s friendship, but…”

“My mother never wanted you to be my fiancée in the first place. But father offered and I agreed at once, Mira,” he says avoiding my gaze, “And since I rejected so many before you, she had to agree.”

“So, in other words, you wanted to anger your mother?” I say, biting my l*p.

“No, Mira, I simply only wanted you. Always,” he says and finally looks into my eyes, making me part my lips in surprise.

“Tristan, why are you saying all that now? It’s… it… it doesn’t change anything anymore. You know that and I know that… Besides, we never were a normal couple and…”, oh, gods, it’s really hard to say it out loud so I close my eyes and just blurt it out, “Besides, you had plenty of other girls while we were engaged and I know it for sure because I saw you.”

His whole body shrugs and he almost trips yet manages to not show any emotions on his face as we continue dancing.

“Mira,” he coughs, “I don’t know how to say it to a lady…”

“Speak freely,” I snort, “I think we are way past the point of no return here.”

“W-well,” he continues, starting to sweat, “When we got engaged you were 15… And I was 22. We had a few good years before we could even consider announcing our wedding date and I didn’t want to scare you with… Uhm… average male’s needs.”

Oh, gods! This is getting beyond awkward.

“For me, you were too precious to… you know…”, he looks like he is suffocating, “And I already had…Uhm.. women before our engagement… so…”

“Gods, Tristan,” I close my eyes again, feeling how my cheeks radiate heat, “There is really no need to explain thus far. I get it!”Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

“I just want you to know that there was nothing serious. I was also very discreet. And from the moment our engagement would become active… there wouldn’t be anyone else but you.”

I gulp at his words. Is this dance ever going to end? What is it with gerdians and their long explicit dances? I turn and the next move for a man to brush their hand softly over his partner’s back – all the way from top to bottom. As ill-luck would have it, I am wearing another dress with a bareback. Tristan’s fingers slide over my skin definitely longer than needed, and when I turn back to face him, I notice his blue eyes became a shade darker.

“Mira”, he presses me against his torso again and leads us across the hall in slow steps, “Is that why you…”

“What?” I raise my brow at him questioningly.

“Is that why you seem to hate me so much?”, he sighs.

“I… I don’t hate you,” I admit, “It’s just… For a 15-year-old girl to see her fiancé kissing someone else kind of kills the romance. I never thought that you are planning to go through with the whole engagement thing. And I planned my life accordingly.”

“I see,” his fingers start to press a bit harder into my flesh, “Mira, it’s all my fault. All of it. I’ve been so stupid and I lost you as a result. But what if… in a perfect world… where we would have another chance. Would you have agreed to be with me for real this time?”

“In a perfect world, where there is no Selection and gerdians, I don’t see why not,” I chuckle as politely as I can and the dance comes to its end.

“My lady,” Tristan carefully k****s my hand, smiling, “You have made me the happiest man in the Akyrian Kingdom.”

He walks away to give some orders to the servants and I just stay there, startled. Tristan’s humour was always a bit difficult to decipher.

“You know,” Xia appears out of nowhere, “If we weren’t a part of the Selection, I’d say that this one is a keeper. For you that is. The way he looks at you…”

“Please, don’t finish this sentence,’ I stop her and notice that Brandon Sevill, who was Morgan’s partner the whole time looks at me suspiciously. Gods, tell me he is not going to turn it into something more than it really was – a completely awkward dance of two exes…

When it’s time for a new type of dance, Tristan comes back to me with his usual serious and noble face. Not a trace of emotion anywhere.

“Missed me?” he jokes as we start to move again.

“Terribly!” I retort, “Tristan, can I ask you about something?”

“Of course, Mira, anything,” he agrees without thinking.

“Help me to see Isidore Vierne today…”