A fox in the snow

Chapter 13

She kept looking at how his ash-grey eyes roamed the whole ballroom as if capturing and memorising the scene.

His eyes stared hungrily at the plate of appetisers approaching him, carried by a waiter. He took three bite-sized pieces of meat pie and thanked the waiter profusely. The waiter walked away, slightly flushed as he'd never received such appreciation in his life.

He took a bite of the pie. Immensely overwhelmed by its savoury taste, he stuffed all the pieces in one go.

Lilith was amused at the sight. She walked towards him, his back facing her. She lightly tapped on his shoulder. He turned his head to see Lilith looking at him with an earnest smile.

His expression resembled that of a child caught stealing candy.

"Oh... uh, Your Highness!" he said in a muffled voice, due to the pies he stuffed in his mouth. He curtsied clumsily.

Lilith chuckled and the young man gave a lopsided grin. He looked around to see most of the guests eyeing him suspiciously, almost in disgust. He felt obligated to hang his head in shame.

As if sensing his discomfort, Lilith asked, "Would you like to dance with me?"

"Umm sure but I-I'm not good at dancing, to be honest," he replied, somewhat ashamed.

"Oh, that's fine. You can follow my lead. I'm just curious to know more about you," she gave him a reassuring smile.

He looked uncertain. Either about dancing. Or about introducing himself.

He placed his right hand on her waist and took her right hand in his left. She placed her left hand on his broad shoulder. She could feel his muscles tense underneath his coat.

Lilith looked into his eyes. They were the most beautiful eyes she'd ever seen. His left iris was an ash grey shade with a small ray of ocean blue, while his right iris was simply grey. He had raven black curly hair which looked incredibly cute on him. He was much taller than her and somehow she felt he was like a protective shield around her.

He followed her steps clumsily, but she had fun dancing with him. His smile was the cutest she'd ever seen— his signature lopsided grin with dimples flashing on his cheeks.

"Who are you? Where are you from?" she asked him while teaching him the minuet style of dance.

"I'm Zayden, Prince of Wales," he replied, somewhat hesitantly.

"Hmm..." she nodded, giving him the benefit of doubt. He continued dancing with her. He couldn't stop wondering how beautiful Lilith looked, just like a Goddess. She was the princess of a prosperous kingdom, yet she was much grounded than what one would've expected from a princess.

He noticed every feature, from her gold-flecked emerald eyes to her lively face and beautiful smile.

Damn. What am I doing? Aeden specifically told me not to fall in love with her!

Now you might've guessed who Zayden was. He was no prince. He was none other than Aeden's best friend who came from Aersberg to distract Lilith from the rest of her suitors so that the spell won't be broken.

But Zayden didn't know the whole story. He was given the opportunity to visit the palace and he simply grabbed it. He wasn't particularly a fan of the nobility, though he admired the King. He wished to visit the palace and understand how different the lifestyle of nobles' was, and if possible, experience it himself.

He did find it weird though, that Aeden wanted him to spend time with Lilith, to not allow her to meet any other prince. He also warned Zayden against falling in love and kissing her. At that time, however, he simply laughed and asked, "You think I'll fall for a girl I'm meeting for the first time?"