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Being the sole heir was terrible in too many ways to count, and then there were all the princesses throwing themselves at him, looking at him with hungry, ambitious eyes. The young woman who had just climbed was petite in frame, dark skinned and dark haired, and wasn’t someone he had seen in the ball.
Before he had the chance to tell her to disappear, she extended her arms. “Please don’t. I know you’re suffering, but you have to believe that there’s still something for you, that you can do good in this world, that there’s joy and laughter somewhere ahead.”
Her words made no sense. “I…” He paused, then realized where he was standing, and the great height below him. Did she really think he was going to jump? At least that made him chuckle. “It’s none of that. I’m just taking some air.”
She frowned. “Up here?”
He sighed. “Where foolish me thought I could be left alone.”
Her eyes were set on him for a long moment. “Are you sure you’re fine? Would you like to talk?”
“I’d much rather be alone, thank you. And no, I’m not interested in marrying you.”
Instead of taking the hint and leaving, she looked at him with concern. “Oh. You think…”
She made a sound as if trying to stifle a laugh, then took a deep breath and got back to that weird, serious tone, as if she were his mother or something. “I understand this gathering is hard for you, when you’re still mourning, when you lost so much, and I can see that nobody is showing you any compassion or sympathy—”
That irked him. “I don’t need compassion.”
“I see. You just need space. I can certainly understand that.” She crouched and was about to climb down.
At that moment he regretted his words. Perhaps all she wanted was his kingdom, but she had been the first person not to speak with him as if he were a crown or a throne. “Wait. I was rude.”
She shrugged. “You’re hurting.”
“I’m not—” He sighed. “Maybe I am. But that doesn’t excuse my words to you. What’s your name?”
“Ursiana. From Greenstone.”
“How come I didn’t see you before?”
She had a sly smile and pointed to her dress. “Cream. It blends with the walls. Genius, right?” Even in the dark, he could see the sparkle in her eyes.
Azir wasn’t sure if she was serious or making fun of the fact he hadn’t noticed her, so he just said, “Indeed.”
She stared at the dark scenery below her. “I’ll have to say, coming here is a better idea than trying to blend in with the walls. Look at the vastness of the land beyond us and the sky above us. There’s so much, so much more. That ballroom is nothing but a speck of dust.” She smiled, admiring the view, while the breeze blew her hair, but then her smile faded.
“Something wrong?”
Ursiana shook her head. “I have to go back. My family wants me to help them make alliances.” She chuckled. “Of course, they still haven’t noticed my wall concealment trick, but they’ll want me to be there. Enjoy the view—and the peace.”
She then climbed down before he had a chance to reply. Azir wished she had stayed. Perhaps she was just like the other princesses, who were hungry for a chance to be queen, but at least she was more pleasant than most. Silly thought. She was just more efficient at trying to snare him, and nowhewas the fly getting stuck in her web. No, he wasn’t getting stuck on anything; he was just appreciating mildly decent company.
Without that company, the parapet felt lonely. Perhaps it had been foolish to come to a place where nothing could distract him from his own thoughts.
He decided to get back to the ballroom, and this time he was going to pay a lot of attention to the walls to see if he could spot the Greenstone princess in her cream dress. But as soon as he walked in, realized it wasn’t necessary.
Ursiana was in the middle of the room, dancing with one of the Wolfmark princes. The first thing he noticed was that she was beautiful. Perhaps not the most beautiful girl in that ball, but she must have indeed been hiding very well to have been ignored for so long. He hadn’t looked much at her while on the parapet, as it had been dark. Swirling on the bright dance floor, she was enchanting. And yet, there was something about her posture, her tight shoulders, her head down. She was clearly disliking her dance. The song took forever and ever to end. When it did, he approached her.
She had a hint of a smile. “Changed your mind about the ball?”
“No. But you don’t like this either, do you?”
“I like the music. And I enjoy dancing, but…” She looked down for a moment, then back at him with a forced smile.
“You don’t want to dance with the Wolfmark prince?”
Ursiana looked down again and shook her head.
