So You Might be Soulless

10|| Believe

Diya didn't know how to feel.

On the one hand, she was angry that Sebastian- no, the Crown Prince- had lied to her. It would have been nice to know earlier that she was talking to the future ruler of the Empire before she insulted him and his family.

But on the other hand, she could understand why he lied. Well, not really but that damned sympathetic side was showing again. It tried to say that he must have had his reasons, but Diya didn't want to hear them.

Diya found another dark corner of the room and pulled up a chair. The dress she wore was surprisingly comfortable and she could move with ease. Hazel had also been kind enough to make it long-sleeved, so Diya didn't have to wear those stupid bangles.

She sipped her drink again. Duke and Duchess Elsher were quick to leave her alone once they entered, but not before giving her a dire warning of the consequences if she even thought about stepping out of line.

Earlier, Diya had contemplated setting the place on fire- she could easily blame it on one of the Elementalists- but then she saw Sebastian and her breath caught as a confusing tornado of emotions devastated her heart.

She knew he was hiding something- the way he avoided talking about his family, and the blatant lie when he spoke about the Imperial Family told her as much. But she had assumed that he was the son of some fallen Noble family, and was merely hiding the fact out of shame..

You see? She told the shadows clustered besides her. He wasn't a good man.

They pointedly ignored her.

Diya turned her attention to the dance floor and immediately regretted it.

Soulmates were dancing, staring deeply into each other's eyes while the music swelled to a soft crescendo behind them. Jealousy bubbled inside of Diya and she wrestled to keep it down, recklessly downing the rest of her drink and relishing the burn at the back of her throat.

Why can't I have that? She thought, staring at her empty, cracked glass. What is wrong with me?

A shadow coiled around her arm and gently patted her head and Diya gave them a weak smile in return, trying to reassure them that she was okay.

Seb- the Crown Prince had his first dance as an adult with the Empress, as was the tradition. Young Noble men and women clustered around, remarking how sweet the mother-son duo looked. They tried to get a glimpse at the name on the Crown Prince's wrist, but were met with the disappointing sight of black tape.

However, that didn't stop some swarming around him like flies once the song was over. Claiming one of the prince's second dance would be a huge boost up the social hierarchy. The Second Prince managed to escape such torture on regards of his bad leg, but that simply meant the attention on the Crown Prince was doubled.

The Crown Prince waded through the crowd and stopped just in front of Diya. She clenched her hands into fists, glaring at him and subtly shaking her head. He gave her a lopsided smirk in response and extended his hand.

"Diya of House Elsher," he said, "will you dance with me?"

Diya wanted to say no, but she saw Duke and Duchess Elsher. They were frantically nodding their heads and Diya knew disobeying their orders would mean at least a week in the Light Room.

"Sure, Crown Prince," Diya said in a clipped tone, slipping her hand in his and rising to her feet. "It would be my honour."

"Call me Sebastian."

"No."

They made their way to the centre of the dance floor and bowed to each other. The Crown Prince held Diya's hand and kept his other hand on her waist while she rested hers on his shoulder. The physical contact made Diya want to hurl, but she hid it behind a practised smile.