Seize the Day

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

“Why the heck did you tell her that you would dance with me?” I snapped to the prince as we waltzed across the marble flooring of the banquet hall.

Titus twirled me, causing the ridiculously wide skirt of my sapphire gown to open up like a flower. “I didn’t want to dance with Lady Rosa’s daughter. That’s all.”

“‘That’s all’? Considering everyone in the room is staring at us, I find it pretty hard to believe that’s all.” The vicious stares of the girls—also known as Titus’ admirers—continued to penetrate through my back. It felt like a thousand tiny needles were pricking anxiety into my spine. The women were stationed in groups of two or three, forming a menacing, yet scattered circle around me and the prince. A girl with a considerable amount of hair and frills waltzed past us, giving me a deadly glare. I shivered.

“What?” Titus asked good-naturedly as he dipped me. “You don’t like the attention?”

I glared at him from my position that was inches from the floor. The little twerp grinned at me. I scowled. “I hate you.”

“Hate is a strong word, Lannie,” Titus replied as he smoothly pulled me to my feet and twirled me again.

I felt like throwing up. My dancing skills rivaled that of a walrus, but, apparently, when you’re with someone who is an expert at dancing, they make you look like an expert when you’re actually not. I groaned as the room became a whirlpool. Just when I needed it, the tempo of the music changed to a slow beat, allowing me to rest. Titus put his hand on my waist and I set mine on his shoulder. “But really, why didn’t you want to dance with Mini Frilly?”

“Mini Frilly?” Titus’ brows wrinkled in confusion.

“Lady Rosa’s daughter.”

He chuckled in a nervous manner and shrugged. “I just didn’t want to.”

For the past couple of days, I had been watching Titus. Not watching as in stalking him, but simply observing his actions. The one thing that I had noticed was that he always tended to avoid any place that was occupied by females, especially if it was Clarice (but I figured he did that because he was genuinely fearful of her wrath). And he always acted odd around me, almost as if he were uncomfortable in my presence. Tonight’s situation with Mini Frilly finally proved my point: “You’re afraid of women, aren’t you?”

The prince’s eyes widened. “O—of course not!”

“You’re stuttering. Stuttering means lying.”

“It—” Titus stopped himself before regaining his composure. I continued to follow his footsteps as we danced. “No, it does not mean I’m lying. I just don’t like being around women is all.”

“That’s the same as being afraid of them,” I pointed out. “Didn’t you tell me to experience the world? You’re going back on your own word.”

His face became red as I stared at him. I had proven a good point, and Titus was unable to defend himself. “Okay, I dislike women. Why is that so bad?”

I couldn’t keep myself from snorting. “That’s sexist, Your Highness. Why do you have such prejudice against women?”

“And why do you have so much prejudice against Royals?”

I held my breath as he dipped me for the thousandth time. The world looked less like reality and more like a mirage when I responded, “I have a good reason for that.”

“Well, so do I,” he countered. “What’s yours?”

“You kicked my mother out after she served your family for eight years, Titus.”