The Sister

Chapter 19

As I moved from the front of the room, I saw Aaron Connrad, one of the men father pointed out to me, walking in my direction, a determined look on his face.

"Princess," he said, bowing deeply in front of me. I glanced at my mother who gestured for me to go dance with him.

"Mr. Connrad," I said, nodding my head.

"Will you do me the honor - no! the pleasure of having this dance?"

I could barely stop myself from holding back an eyeroll, but I simply nodded again and took his hand.

"You look magnificent, Princess," he said as he led me through the dance.

"Thank you,"

"Truly! I've travelled far and wide, princess, but never before have I seen a woman as lovely as yourself."

This time, I didn't hold myself back. Looking him directly in the eye, I said, "Mr. Connrad - Aaron, I'm going to call you Aaron - I'm no fool. My sister is far more beautiful than I am. There are many women in this room whose beauty, I'm sure, surpasses mine. That isn't, by far, the only way to measure a woman."

Aaron looked stunned for a second, then smiled, his charm oozing off of him, "You are correct, princess, as always. Your beauty seems to lie in your wit."

I smiled, "And yours in your charm,"

He winked at me, his smile seeming more genuine.

I didn't like Aaron - not in the way I should like a potential husband. But he seemed smarter than his dandy exterior would let him show. And that meant I needed to keep a close eye on him.

"Aaron, tell me a bit about your travels,"

He shook his head, "Usually if a pretty woman who I'm in any way interested in were to ask me that I'd lie about the whole thing. But it seems that you won't let me get away with that just because I flash a pretty smile at you,"

I raised my eyebrows but didn't say anything.

"My trips, your majesty, involved lots of money and women. Which I think you may already know, as I have a bit of a reputation."

"How are you interested in me, Aaron?" I said, glancing around the room quickly.

"You're the Crown Princess. I have lots of money. A marriage between the two of us would be advantageous."

I nodded, "True. But I wouldn't want to marry a man who dallies around with other women."

Aaron squinted at me, "I like to think of it as an extra plan - if this thing with you doesn't work out, I'll have many back-ups. I don't believe in love, Princess."

I shook my head, "Well I do. I'm not foolish enough to think that I'll get to marry for it - not anymore - but I can still hope. I'll keep you in mind when it comes time for me to make my decision,"

Aaron bowed to me as the song ended, and I was whisked away by one suitor after another.

The Nilian boy turned out to be incredibly shy, and spent our entire dance shuffling his feet, barely looking at me, his dark skin turning red.

By the time Phillip reclaimed me, the ball was nearly over, and I wanted nothing more than to go to bed.

"Why hello again, Dawn," he said, his fingers intertwining with mine on one hand while the other wrapped around my waist. This particular dance called for us to be standing very close to one another, and I felt my heart beat already getting erratic.

"Always a pleasure, Phillip," I said, smiling at him.

"Any of the suitors to your liking?"

"None really. That Aaron Connrad is a character though,"