Her Mating Scheme

Chapter 1

DIANE’S POV

He was around.

He was in this room, someone she really wanted. It was in her soul.

Behind her mask, Diane stood at the top of the wide stone stairs, high above the ballroom. She was out of breath, and her ladies-in-waiting were whispering and laughing with each other. As the hall got quiet, she kept her chin up. The King and Queen of Nouthurn, the most powerful kingdom on the Continent, turned to look at her. All the people in the big hall followed their looks and found Diane.

All the men in the great hall turned their heads to look at her, but she couldn't tell which man she was looking for. Her ladies-in-waiting pushed her to focus on the stairs.

As they went down, she tried hard to keep her face calm. She was not on time. People who don't like her would say she did it on purpose, just for this entry. Her real goal, though, was to find peace.

Diane had been looking forward to the Festival of Peace and this costume ball for months. On the other hand, today her nerves had burst into a shimmering ache that called out to her, making her yearn so much that she shook as her maid curled her hair. A need for something, but what? She tried everything—a tasty snack, a lot of exercise, and even sneaking a sip of her dad's best spirit—but nothing helped.

After a frustrating and confusing day, she finally gave in to her friends' pleas to finish getting ready and go to the ball. As she got closer to the stairs, though, the feeling kept getting stronger and pulling at her bones.

As she looked down at this group of the continent's most important men and women, she was sure of one thing: she wanted him. He was also here.

The pull was so strong that it made her catch her breath, but she slowly went down the stairs in the company of her Court. The women were talking about the group of men waiting below, and the men's eyes were already picking out each of them. Diane knew that she was being watched the most. Few people would not have known who she was at this masked ball, even though everyone was wearing a mask. Her rare, fiery red hair was always standing out.

The noble men in Nouthurn, on the other hand, Diane already knew. She had known them since she was born or since they were born. They had never hurt her this much before. While she felt a pull inside her, it wasn't towards her father's court. Instead, it was towards one of the nobles who would be visiting for the Festival of Peace. Which scared and excited her at the same time.

She wished to be a queen. Let him be a king.

She had to marry someone from one of the strongest ruling families during the Festival of Peace month and then get their Kingdoms to work against the Summitrans. This is what her folks told her! She was glad to do it because it gave her time to find the right man for her and her people. Now, though...

The music started up again when she and her ladies got to the floor. Some young lords from the visiting Kingdoms and Nouthurn rushed towards her and her ladies, even though they were trying to act casual.

So, as she walked through the crowd to find the seats set aside for her and her court, she could just smile at the men who complimented her and nod her head in response. She could also pat the shoulders of those who offered their arms. She didn't take any of them, though.

He was around. He was right here!

Her heart was happy.

She needed to find him.

*****

After an hour, Diane sighed with boredom and anger. She turned down every offer to dance and, even with her Ladies, kept herself out of private conversations in a gentle but firm way. Her eyes kept moving around the room, and the only sign of her stress was that her foot was slipping and tapping restlessly under her long clothes. She felt so drawn to him that she was thinking about walking around the room and looking for him like a bloodhound following a smell. In fact, she had just turned to Joyce, her favourite Lady, to suggest that they go for a walk when everyone else stopped talking. Diane made a face at her friend, whose eyes were wide.

As she turned to follow the look, her heart shook.

By Nouthurnn measures, he was tall. His shoulders were almost as wide as her dad's, but he couldn't be more than a year older than her. She saw a hint of black hair behind an interesting half-mask that had the eyes, ears, and nose of a lion and a thick layer of feathers around it to look like a mane. But it didn't cover his strong jaw or big lips.

Diana took a deep breath and looked over his broad chest, which was beautifully framed by his gold and fawn uniform jacket. She also looked at his slim waist, pale pants and shiny black patent boots. He stood in front of her with his chin up and his green eyes peeping out from behind the mask.

Diane almost jumped up. She had to force herself to be still.

Then he spoke, and her senses were drawn to his voice like a feather being traced on her skin.

His voice was low and husky as he asked, "May I have this dance?" He then bowed so deeply before her that even her Ladies in Waiting, who usually took great pride in being impressed by nothing and no one, fluttered their fans and smiled at her. When he stood up straight and looked at her, that tingling and the pinch between her shoulder blades came right to her skin. In his direction.

It was not Royal of her to quickly nod her head and stand up. He smiled as she took his hand without saying a word. When he touched her, she gasped for air, and his warm fingers curled around hers.

She felt sparks in her skin when he touched her, even through their gloves. Then they got to the dance floor, and he pulled her into his strong arms. He felt like a steel wall between her and the rest of the world. His smile, which was hidden by his mask, warmed her insides, which had stopped pulling at her and were now simmering with heat that wouldn't go away.

His daughter Diane was speechless, which her father said was a royal performance.

They didn't say much, but he did ask her age in a very careful way. He asked, "May I ask how old you are, Princess?" His voice was honeyed and gravelly.

"I'll be twenty in three weeks," she said out of breath. "And you?"

"Twenty-four," he answered. They both stopped talking because they didn't have anything else to say. In the Noble Court, four years was a very short time. She was scared to think about getting married to a man older than her father after seeing girls get married to men older than their fathers.

She did, however, want to hear his voice again. She said to herself after a few minutes, "You dance divinely," and then she cursed herself. She wasn't a dummy; she was going to be queen one day! Still, this man's eyes, words, and touch were so strong that they took over even her thoughts.

He smiled and nodded as he pulled her into a turn that pushed their chests together for a moment. Their eyes were fixed on each other. He said in a soft voice, "As do you, my lady." She could feel his voice in her bones.

When they were done with their turn, she flushed and looked away, but when she looked back, she saw herself looking at his broad chest. It got dry in her mouth. She had been interested in men's chests ever since she saw the Knights training in the courtyard without their shirts on.

That night, she stood in front of the mirror for an hour with her nightgown pulled down to her waist. She had always known that guys didn't have breasts. She wasn't expecting to be so interested in the flat planes of their chests, though. She knew her mother didn't want her to think about what parts of the body men had that women didn't. But Diane had only seen a few of the animals in the stables and courtyards, so she couldn't picture a human guy having such an appendage. Or how using it could make a woman feel good.

The dogs in the barns never seemed very happy with all the attention.

Because he had to look at the top of her head because he was so tall, she felt better about the thought. Having my eyes level with his chest felt great. The sight made her want to run her fingers across it and see what would happen for a while. Until that cursed pull inside her, that pull towards him, made her raise her chin and look at him again.

He made her gasp.

She was full of ideas as the music stopped. She wanted to talk to him and find out what kind of guy he was, so she asked him to walk her to the terrace and join her in the garden.

"Kings, Queens, and Princesses! Dear Lords and Ladies! At the opening ball of the Festival of Peace, let's be happy that we are all here together. Over the next month, we will celebrate together, work to end the fighting between our countries and peoples, and look forward to the years of peace that will follow. The King and Queen of Nouthurn wish that the Goddess will bless you and let the sun of peace rise over your flags.

The Master of Ceremonies raised his nose even higher, and his voice, which had been blessed with magic, echoed through the large hall. Even the royal family was very excited. It was time for the Festival to start!

Diane was being disciplined when she turned around and faced the platform to listen to the cocky man talk. They would see if she kept looking at the Lion Lord when everyone else was facing the front. So, she clenched her hands together and forced herself to turn away.

Did she think that as she turned, her Lord took a step towards her as if to grab her arm? She stood with her head held high and begged the Goddess to bring him closer.

But there was no touch.