"Bloody impossible," Theodore cursed as soon as he went through the invitation, a deep furrow on his face. With the way he glared intensely at the card, it was a good thing he couldn’t shoot fire from his eyes.
"Well, it’s bloody happening, brother," Andre smirked at him, nonchalantly lifting a glass in his direction before taking a sip of his drink.
"On the bright side, I have the both of you to share with the misery," Valerie chuckled, having a drink as well.
The news of the upcoming ball has spread throughout the kingdom and thrown the unmated females into a tizzy. Everywhere Valerie went, it was all everyone could talk and by the gods, if he heard one more word about taking a mate, he had no doubt it would drive him crazy.
Fae’s were used to arrange marriages. Royalty was usually partnered with highborn Fae, so the queen throwing a ball for every unmated female out there was a controversial move and raised suspicion. Have the royals lowered their mating standards? Has the crown prince lost his taste in females? Or was this some sort of risky experimentation or entertainment?
There was a reason why Royalty took fellow royalty or high Fae as a mate, the exception being in the case of a true mate. And it was to protect and strengthen the bloodlines. Only the strongest could rule Astaria and a weak link in the royal bloodline could set things back by a lot. No, the idea could not even be entertained. Hence, while this opportunity was a dream come true for some, the low-born knew it was merely a ruse.
Fae Queen Maeve was merely trying to kill two birds with one stone. She was eager to stay in the good graces of the Faeries enough to feed them with the false hope of a happily ever after with the prince, and finally to keep Valerie occupied. Although the news was buried, snippets reached the masses that Valerie had somehow gotten involved with a human.
But then, the thing about rumors was that it died easily and none of them could even remember the human. Now, all that mattered was the ball. Even with the announcement, entry into the palace was by invitation and it was drafted carefully; the lowest Fae can’t get into the palace.
Queen Maeve was a shrewd Fae. She was still struggling to handle the human and could not give room for another problem to arise. Males think with their dick and she does not trust Valerie to overcome the whiles of those scheming females seeking to upgrade their statues. Her son Valerie was bred for great things and he would have the brightest future.
Every invitation sent out was not without the Queen’s approval and the ratio of the high born to the low Fae attending the ball was by far approximate: eight is to two. The presence of the female low Fae would be for decoration and to fulfill all righteousness. So it wouldn’t be said that the queen was partial and went back on her words.
Valerie had already received a warning, more like, a threat from the great Fae Queen not to pull any trick. He was to entertain and associate with every female at the ball and the end of it, should show interest in one or more of the females. The queen doesn’t care. There was enough time to court them all and should be able to make his final choice before his coronation.
Theodore had been away on one of his short "trips" when the declaration was made and returned now to be given the "good" news. The highlight of the ball was that not just Valerie, but all of the princes - not limited to Aldric - were up for grabs.
None of the princes has produced a royal heir even though they were past marriageable age, except Theodore who has an illegitimate daughter with elven blood - who was not considered - and Queen Maeve apparently has taken up the mantle to ensure they were with wives. Appropriate wives. Not concubines. Or lovers. They would take legitimate wives and have legitimate heirs.
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