The royal moon witch

Chapter 7 - Dinner and a opera

* Elvira POV *

After Riella had tore the blisters open, they healed better. Right now I only needed plasters on my left hand. My right hand was a different story, because the surface of the blister had been a bit bigger. I just was happy that I could do pretty much everything myself again. Of course sometimes it took a little longer but I didn’t mind that. I was able to do things myself and I was glad about that. Riella stuck by my side all day long still and only left when it was time to eat or to get something for me. We had grown even closer and became real friends over the past days.

Today was the last day the king and queen would be here, tomorrow they would leave early in the morning. They had stayed home longer because they were a bit afraid that I would not be treated well or be able to get used to the palace without them around. Over the past days since my blisters had been popped, I had explored the castle a bit more too and had been able to find my own way to the library, the dining hall and back to my room without getting the wrong door. Of course thanks to Riella but I didn’t mind that. I had just returned from the library where I had been reading the last part of book four of the series I had taken with me so I could return it right away. It had been a nice change of scenery and to my surprise Valentino had also been in the library. He had not said a word to me and I had not said anything to him though I did catch him twice looking at me while I sat on the couch.

A knock on the door made me look up from my overthinking.

‘’Who is there?’’ I asked, today was Riella’s day off and I didn’t expect anyone else.

‘’I am here to ask you to join us for dinner today’’ Valentino said through the door and I got up from the couch I had just sat down on. I opened the door a bit and looked at him.

‘’You come to ask me out of yourself? Or did your mother send you?’’ I asked and he rolled his eyes.

‘’That is answer enough.. Well, It is their last evening here.. So I’ll come down stairs.. Tell them I will be there in five minutes’’ I said but to my surprise he shook his head.

‘’No.. I am here to actually escort you’’ he said and I looked surprised.

‘’Eh.. Okay..’’ I said, I was not dressed fancy or anything but when I opened the door I saw he was actually wearing a suit.

‘’Is there something important going on?’’ I asked.

‘’Well, we are going to a opera after dinner’’ he said.

‘’Oh, I didn’t know that’’ I said and looked at my jeans with blue halter top.

‘’You are also invited, maybe the maid forgot to bring you the note’’ he said. I had a feeling he had something to do with that but I nodded.

‘’Give me a moment..’’ I said and was about to close the door when he stopped it.

‘’If you are going to dress up, alright but can I at least wait inside? I won’t peek at your boring body..’’ he said and I narrowed my eyes.

‘’Thanks for the compliment prince Valentino.. But sure, go ahead’’ I said and walked away. He walked inside and sat down on the couch.

I walked towards my closet and looked through the long dresses I had bought together with the queen. I decided to go with a green dress that had a light sparkle in the fabric. It was a halter dress and I liked it very much. It had as they called it a ‘build in bra’ so I would be able to take that one off too. I took it with me to a large dark brown wooden screen and behind it, I took of my clothes and put on the dress. I tried to close the zipper but I couldn’t reach it and sighed. I peeked from behind the screen and saw Valentino was busy on his phone. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, what I was about to do would take a lot of my pride. Not my courage because it was just a zipper to close but I simply didn’t like to ask people for help and especially not this person that was right now sitting on my couch.

‘’Valentino?’’ I asked and peeked from behind the large wooden screen. I saw how he turned his head a bit and looked from the corner of his eyes my way.

‘’What?’’ he asked, clearly annoyed that I said his name.

‘’I don’t like to ask this but could you help me zip up? I can’t reach and I don’t feel like calling a maid.. Especially since they will probably take up to ten minutes and we will be late then’’ I said. He raised a eyebrow and then got up.

‘’You have a good point on the maids so I guess I have no choice’’ he said and I heard him walk over to the screen. I walked away from it and turned around quickly so he wouldn’t be able to maybe peek into the dress at my chest. I could hear him take a step closer and without a warning, I felt his fingertips on my skin just above the zipper.

His hand was warm, his fingertips a bit rough though I wondered from what that would be. Did he have callus on his fingertips? But why would he, he was a prince. I closed my eyes and felt how he slowly closed the zipper, holding one hand on my back probably to make sure that the fabric would not get stuck.

‘’There..’’ He said after what felt for a while and I could still feel his hand on my shoulder now.

‘’You are zipped up, does this mean you are also ready?’’ he asked and I nodded.

‘’Yes, I am ready’’ I said and turned around. Now that he stood so close, and we were not arguing, I noticed how tall he actually was and not just tall. He was very well build and his arms where quite thick from the muscles. I took a step to the side and was about to walk away when he stopped me by taking a hold of my shoulder again.

‘’Stay how you are’’ he said, making it sound more like a command than a question. I was about to protest when he took out the messy bun I had made in my hair.

‘’Your hair loose suits the dress better’’ He said and then walked quickly to the door, he grabbed his phone from the couch. This comment had me silent and I didn't know how to respond to this. The moment was short though because when he had reached the couch in a few long steps, e was his usual annoyed self.

‘’Hurry up witch’’ he said in his usual annoyed tone and I shook the surprise away as quickly as I could. I quickly put on the flat shoes that were bought by this dress and walked towards him.

‘’And here I thought you warmed up to me’’ I said, trying to sound sarcastic yet the moment we just shared had crawled more under my skin that I thought.

‘’Ha, like I would ever warm up to you’’ he said. I closed the door and we headed to the dining hall.

‘’I just don’t get it why you hate me or my kind so much’’ I said on our way there. Valentino looked at me and rolled his eyes.

‘’Yeah go ahead and play innocent, as if you never participated in the murders’’ he said. I was shocked and stopped walking.

‘’Murders?’’ I asked and looked at him. He turned around and his eyes were cold and hard as ice.

‘’Yes, murders.. You heard me correctly’’ he said.

‘’My people don’t murder.. Blood magic is dangerous and forbidden’’ I said and saw how he rolled his eyes.

‘’Yeah sure, maybe in your family.. But not all witches are like your family’’ he said.

‘’No.. Most witches are like my coven’’ I said. I didn’t know what murder he meant but I was very sure that it were not witches that had done it.

‘’Shut up about it, this evening is about my parents and not about you.. or me’’ he said and I sighed. He was right in that, this evening was the last evening the king and queen would be here for a while and I wanted them to enjoy it. Though I also knew I would not get more answers from him about what he just mentioned anyway.

‘’Fine.. Let’s head to the dining hall’’ I said and continued walking. Valentino followed me and I could hear he was busy on his phone again.

During dinner we had a lot of fun, the queen was very happy to see me again and told me to sit next to her. She complimented me on my dress and thanked her. Valentino and the king talked about the journey they had planned and what countries they had to go to. It were five countries and they would stay away for at least three months. Queen rose said in between that he shouldn’t try anything funny because if she heard he would not treat me right, he would get in quite some trouble when she was back. In silent I thanked her for this warning but I had a feeling that this wouldn’t help at all. I didn’t know why but my guts told me soon something would happen that would put Valentino and me in a line against each other.

When dessert was served, Valentino looked on the clock.

‘’Well mother, now that the dessert is here, I guess I can reveal to what opera we are going’’ he said and his mother looked up with a smile.

‘’Tell me, I am very curious’’ she said.

‘’Why? You have seen it already so many times’’ He said with a teasing smile.

‘’Is it Evita?’’ She asked and he nodded. The queen’s eyes twinkled and she smiled bright.

‘’That is my favorite, I didn’t know they were having that one right now’’ she said.

‘’Well, it premiere’s tonight but for a change it isn’t played by a very famous cast’’ Valentino explained. I personally liked the idea that we were going to a not very famous cast in a opera and had never expected that Valentino would do such a thing.

After we all finished our dessert, we got up from our chairs and I saw how the king offered the queen his arm. She took it and together they walked out of the dining hall. I followed them and looked at Valentino for a moment, he raised an eyebrow as if to ask if I was thinking he would do the same and I rolled my eyes as a silent answer. I actually was glad he didn’t offer his arm to be because my mind was still processing how his finger tips had felt on my back. With the four of us we walked to the large doors of the palace that would lead to the large staircase I had seen the first time I entered the palace. When we walked through the front doors, I saw a limousine ready for us with the same driver as the men that had picked me up from my house. We all walked own the staircase and I had to pull my dress up a little so I would not trip over the hem.

We all entered the limousine and I sat down on the side couch, together with Valentino who already was busy in his phone again. I secretly wondered what he was doing but I knew I would not get a answer. The king and queen were very close with each other and it was nice to actually see love between them unlike most movies would portray between a royal couple. I looked a bit around as the driver slowly drove down the driveway and headed for the city. The drive took about fifteen minutes, maybe a little longer. When the driver parked in front of the theatre, I suddenly saw a lot of guards closing in on the car.

‘’I thought it was not a famous cast?’’ I asked and Valentino nodded.

‘’Well, that is true but everyone knows that if the king and queen attend something, there will be guards everywhere’’ he said, his tone made me feel dumb and I just knew that was his intention. I sighed and nodded.

‘’True, that does make sense’’ I admitted and looked at his parents, his mother gave me a warm smile reassuring me and I felt better almost instantly.

After we left the car, it became crazy busy around us. It felt as if we were famous stars that came to the premiere of their movie or some award show. I had never seen so many people in one spot and it was quite overwhelming. Once we were inside, we were brought to our seats on the best balcony. The seats were very comfortable and for a moment I felt like probably every normal girl would feel when they were put in such a great seat: Like a princess. Yet the moment I looked next to me and saw that Valentino was looking at me with a sarcastic look in his eyes, that princess feeling faded away right away.

The opera started and we watched it, I really enjoyed the play. For a beginning group of actors, they really made a impact and did a great job. I could see the queen in the corner of my eye and she had a hard time keeping herself from crying the moment the lead singer started to most famous song from the play and I had to admit, she did such a great job that even I felt torn from the inside. It felt as if it wasn’t a play but as if I was standing there in the crowd watching the strongest women I’ve heard of, the women that was the beloved wife of our president and the most beloved women of our country, tell us that she was sick and wouldn’t live for much longer. Without realizing it, I was crying from the beautiful voice and when the queen offered me a tissue, I looked a little surprised but smiled.

‘’Thank you’’ I whispered and she smiled.

‘’You’re welcome’’ she said in return. The end of the play came and I clapped in my hands with all the feelings I had just felt.

When the curtains closed for the last time, we got up and walked from our spots.

‘’We can best go back home since tomorrow we will leave in the early afternoon and I am sure your mother wants to check the luggage twice before we can leave’’ the king said and the queen nodded.

‘’Going on a journey that long, means you have to be extra prepared’’ she said and I smiled.

‘’I must agree with that’’ I said but saw Valentino roll his eyes. I didn’t react on it because I didn’t want to ruin the evening.

We went back to the limousine which brought us all back to the palace. Once we were there, we walked up the stairs and in the entrance hall the king and queen said their good nights. Valentino looked at me for a moment when his parents had left and I looked at him.

‘’Need help with unzipping that thing or can you manage that yourself?’’ he asked in a sarcastic tone.

‘’I’ll ask for a maid, I wouldn’t want to bother you’’ I said and he chuckled. It was the first time I heard him chuckle and it was a funny sound.

‘’Is that the reason or do you not trust me?’’ he asked, he looked at me and his eyes were not readable for me right now which was really annoying.

‘’Why would I trust you? You kill my kind.. And if you are said to do something that you don’t like, you injure the other person so you can go back doing your own thing’’ I said and he grinned.

‘’I am very much used to getting what I want and I have one simple thing I want right now’’ he said.

‘’Which is?’’ I asked and frowned my eyebrows a bit.

‘’You gone out of here and out of my life’’ he said, his voice had a threatening tone and I took a deep breath.

‘’Well, I am used to work for the things I want and I am not planning to give up yet’’ I said with all the courage that I had, which I must admit was not much.

‘’And what is it that you want?’’ he asked, the threat was gone from his voice but it was clear that he was not truly curious.

‘’To show you that my kind isn’t as bad as you think they are and in the process of showing you that, I would like to see a friendship coming a long’’ I said honestly.

My answer on his question was answered with a loud salvo of laughter from his side. He clearly thought it was funny but I didn’t care. When he didn’t stop at first, I decided I was not gonna let him laugh at me for as long as he wished. I walked away from him yet when I did that, he suddenly grabbed my wrist and looked at me death-serious.

‘’We will never become friends Vira.. Like I said, knowing my parents I can not stop this bull crap from happening but if we get married, you won’t get to see the next sunrise because I’ll kill you that same night’’ he said and I looked back at him. I could feel he meant it, especially because he was squeezing my wrist.

‘’You can’t scare me away with those words and if you think that killing me will be easy then think again’’ I said.

‘’Yeah, I think it is very easy, just as easy as it was to kill that grandmother of yours’’ he said and then let go of my wrist. Tears welled up in my eyes from what he said, not just from sadness but also from anger.

‘’Have a nice evening’’ he said and walked away. I looked at him as he walked away, my sight was a blur from the tears that I was trying to fight.

I don’t know for how long I stood there in the main hall, but it was quite a while when I heard a door open and a familiar voice:

‘’Vira?’’. I looked into the direction of the voice, by now my tears had fallen and I didn’t know what to do.

‘’Vira what happened?’’ the female voice asked and I felt two hands on my shoulders. I turned to look at her and saw that it was Riella, she had returned from her day off.

‘’Come with me, I’ll bring you to your room’’ Riella said and she leaded me away from the main hall.

In my room I walked to the bathroom and used a towel to dry my face. Riella brought me a pyjama and in there I took of my dress and put on what Riella had brought me, after that I walked, almost in zombie mode, to my bed and climbed into it.

‘’Are you alright?’’ she asked and I nodded.

‘’Yes.. I.. I just need to be alone’’ I said and pulled up my knees.

‘’Do you want some tea?’’ she asked and I shook my head.

‘’Something else?’’ she asked and again I shook my head.

‘’No.. thank you’’ I said and she nodded.

‘’Alright’’ she said and I could hear in her voice that she was concerned about me.

‘’I’ll see you tomorrow okay?’’ I asked and she nodded. She walked away, only to return shortly after with the book I was reading. I smiled a bit and took the book from her.

‘’Thank you’’ I said. During our truth or dare she asked me how I could be made happy even if I was really sad and I had told her to give me a good book and I would be happy again.

It helped a little but this time I wasn’t just sad, I was devastated. I laid down after I heard the door open and close and let the tears that I had been fighting go. I don’t know for how long I cried but eventually I fell asleep, longing for a hug and advice from my grandmother.