Chapter 28 - Living The Dream
Two days were spent, and Roselyn finally took her decision after a long reflection before bed. She spent about one hour considering all the pros and cons of the situation and concluded.
In Yorkshire, everyone was talking about her, wondering what she had more than them. She was surely beautiful, but it was easy to be beautiful in ages like that, where women had one only task: to be desirable.
"She doesn't have any additional talent."
"Her family is not even of a superior rank. Mine is way wealthier."
"I bet she threatened him, I heard her talking, and she's quite ill-mannered I don't think a King would want a lady like her by his side."
Every lady had their opinion and judgment on the situation, but they shared the common enemy.
Whether she decided to accept the King's requests or not, her life was already drastically changed.
King John, for the first time in his life, embellished himself to see a woman. The thought of her showing up or not was giving him a disturbance on his stomach. He knew she was the only glimmer of hope he had.
He looked at himself in the mirror, admiring his long hair that fell delicately on his face like it was a cascade. His brown eyes that, if looked under a certain light, cast a red light. He smirked, checking his muscled stature that gave him the appearance of a Romanian statue. He didn't blame all the women, both humans and vampires, that deeply fallen in love with him.
"I am an unachievable standard of beauty, no lady will attract me enough to make me fall in love." He said, considering that was the reason he could not love. His servant raised an eyebrow at his reply. Although he wasn't surprised, as he was used to his humility.
"So isn't Roselyn appealing enough?" he asked, looking at John from the special mirror that allowed the vampires to be reflected. That mirror was specifically created under the request of King William and took hundreds of scientists to create a special material that could cast his reflection.
"She's very.. desirable. My gaze was naturally attracted to her but well, I don't think I will never fall in love with her." He said, buttoning up his adorned shirt.
"Why would you say so, your highness?"
He gave an annoyed look, the gaze that people give when repeating something they've already said million times.
"Even if I was capable of loving, her personality is too... Distinctive."
"I see you've got something in common then." The servant chuckled lightly, having the King shrug.
"I just hope she won't end up like the other ones. I thought about the plan perfectly and I don't want her to ruin it."
"Maybe you will be the one who falls in love." His saying made King's eyebrows knit down then he exploded in a laugh as if it was the best joke he's ever heard.
John could hear from his room the noises of people talking. With his sense of hearing overdeveloped, he focused to try to recognize the sound of Roselyn's voice.
When he didn't hear her voice he gasped deeply, wondering if he should have kept his secret before asking her for the agreement. Maybe doing so he would have the certainty that she would accept.
He walked into the ballroom, as usual, attracting every lady and gentlemen's gaze on him. He stared at the crowd of people in the search of Roselyn, but he didn't find her.
Concerning thoughts imploded into his mind as he pictured his dream fading away without even reaching it.
The more he looked at people, the more he couldn't find her in the middle of the crowd. Some ladies smiled thinking they were being looked at and then looked disappointed seeing how he was searching for someone else.
In the left corner of the room, he spotted Sharon and Abigail, which gave him a glimpse of hope and cheered him enough to have a little faith that maybe she was just late.
Several minutes passed by but there was no sign of her anyway. He even asked his bodyguards to check the bathroom or the other rooms but just to see them come back with a grimed look nodding their head no.
Just when he was about to give up to the thought that his hopes went up in smoke, the crowd turned their head to the side to stare at who just entered, the mass of guests broke through, as people took a step back, allowing the passage to reach the King.
He frowned to see better, but people were impeding the sight.
He stepped toward the crowd, recognizing the familiar long brunette hair.
It was her.
It was Roselyn.
He smiled hugely, breaking the hearts of all the ladies that thought he wasn't in love. They thought he was smiling at her. Little did they know he was smiling at his dream and his plan that now could come true.
The King went to walk toward her, his head bowed down delicately, having her do the same. Then he stretched his hand. "Do you want to dance?" he murmured. At his words all the people that were standing on the dance floor dancing or chatting hastily walked off, leaving to them the entire dance floor.
Roselyn's heart raced as she felt everyone's gaze on her.
Counting in mind the steps she had to take before climbing the little stair that would bring her up on the dancing floor.
At every step she took, a beat was skipped.
"You can do it." He whispered as her since his overdevelopment senses were perceiving her extreme nervousness.
At the eleventh step, she was in the center of the dance floor.
A plain played romantic waltz music.
He placed his right hand on Roselyn's left shoulder blade, with the side of his thenar and wrist crease against the back of her armpit. She gave a long breath and placed her left hand on his upper arm, near the shoulder. His left arm was raised slightly and his elbow was bent sharply to extend the hand upward.
"Are you ready?" John questioned, smiling at her like if she was the only one in the room.