Between Two Souls, Chapter 5

The dance hall went silent. All invited guests face the wide and circular staircase, allowing the wide middle one to be the exclusive dance venue for the prince and his attendants to dance.

A waiter came beside the stairs.

"Gentlemen and Madams. In the name of the great king Ares, the sacred dance that became a tradition began. Welcome to the honorable kings and queens of Arestiana, King Arthur and Queen Sophie!"

The trumpets were blown to make the atmosphere even more magnificent. The Giant Door opened. Fragrant flowers were thrown to greet them. They began to descend the stairs slowly to the rhythm.

They stopped in the middle of the stairs. Queen Sophie removed her hand from the king. All the guests there were fascinated by the king's gallantry. King Arthur came forward to start the event.

"My brothers and sisters of the royal family. The family on the sacred promise of our great king, King Ares. A family that has always been by my side. This special night will begin with the prince choosing his partner to the dance party."

Prince Adrien walked out of the magnificent door. A majestic trumpet was once again sounded to welcome him. But this time is different. One room became silent, until only the prince's footsteps were heard. He walked slowly down the stairs.

Adrien looked around, looking for his friend from that school.

"Vino, where are you?" Adrien only saw Erika. Erika nodded in a gesture to Adrien.

...........................

Adrien continued to go down the stairs, he looked around but did not find Vino. Almost to the bottom, Adrien looked at the shabby dressed girl. The girl kept looking down. Adrien who felt strange slowly approached him.

Adrien continued to walk past the girls in front of him one by one. They regret that a was not chosen. After arriving, all the guests there were surprised. The prince chooses the one with the worst clothes.

"Hello, excuse me, girl. Why are you so shy?" Adrien asked while holding the girl's shoulder.

The girl was just silent......

Adrien saw in the place that the girl's face was not covered with dried animal feces. "Something is wrong with you, come with me"

Adrien took the girl to the park. He immediately looked for a water source to clean the girl. Until they are in the garden pool. Adrien immediately washed the girl, cleaning the dirt off her face.

The girl's face was clean. The girl took off the rope that tied her ears. With embarrassment, the girl turned to Adrien's face. It looks like a cute face with bright skin with big green eyes with long ears. It was Vino, the elf who became Adrien's friend during school.

"What?... Vino??? What happened to you?"

Vino just kept quiet.

"I mistook this for a trivial thing, it turned out to be worse. Are you okay Vino?" Adrien became very worried, maybe what Erika said was only a small part of Vino's suffering.

"Come with me to your family, there is something to explain!"

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

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Adrien held Vino's hand. With an angry face he was ready to face anyone in the room, even if it was the royal family. Adrien headed to the middle of the room.

"No way!"

"That's an elf? The prince wants to marry that thing?"

"What the hell is this? Many people died because of the poison they carried, but my future royal family married him instead?

All the guests there were surprised. They whispered because the prince chose an elf Adrien to come before the Celje family.

"You guys. You guys made me vomit. HOW CAN YOU HAVE THE HEART TO DO THIS TO YOUR OWN FAMILY! Don't you guys have any shame?"

Chiara Celje, the mother of five siblings, immediately stepped forward

"What? Your Majesty wants to marry ELF? You're crazy, huh? They still have problems with Arestiana. Did you forget? They poisoned many residents with their ingredients."

"But he's your family, FAMILY! Did this girl commit such a crime?"

"We will hear from Driva's family. You rarely go to the palace and learn manners and traditions. I have lost respect for you, you are not worthy of being called a prince."

The Driva family who saw it directly was stunned, they were surprised that the prince wanted to marry a girl from the elven race who had been ostracized for over 200 years.

One of the youngest Driva families came forward to give her opinion. The prince smiled, it turned out to be the teacher who often defended him when he was at school. Thedore Driva.

"Actually, what the prince did was not wrong, a prince had the right to choose his own wife. It doesn't matter what the background is."

Although still relatively young, namely 30 years old, Theodore Driva's wisdom and intelligence are recognized by all circles.

Someone patted Theodore on the shoulder. "But Theodore, the elves are our enemy. This action is a great insult to the government. Many of our residents have died because of the herbs they sell. They're just a bunch of liars and witches!"

It was Ega Driva. The oldest member is 133 years old. Believe it or not, he was still in the early stages of old age. The average Valkan human lives to be 183 years old.

"Mr. Ega, I know how you feel. I also felt that. But did you see the prince being bewitched? Isn't it? After all, the prince didn't break anything. She can choose whoever to be her wife."

The guests there were stunned. Some are still whispering, whether it is defending or denouncing the prince's choice.

King Arthur and Queen Sophie descended the stairs, breaking up the atmosphere.

"The absolute decision has been made! My son, Prince Adrien has chosen his partner. The dance party and the marriage contract are about to start!" King Arthur surprisingly approved his son's decision.

The guests who attended were even more astonished. How could a king allow his son to marry an enemy of the kingdom?

"What? That's right! This is not fair! I'M UPSET!" The other Celje girls were furious. Especially Chiara who was secretly with a flat face holding a grudge.

From the crowd, it can be seen that Erika is smiling happily because her best friend was rescued from hell.

Queen Sophie approaches Adrien and Vino.

"Are you ready to dance? Eh, Vino, you can dance, right?"

Vino just bowed embarrassedly and didn't answer. But Adrien grabbed his shoulders, trying to calm him down.

"It's okay, you just need to follow my steps. Don't be embarrassed" Adrien hugged Vino, once again trying to calm him down.

Adrien held Vino's hand to the center of the room. Vino slowly dismissed his doubts, steadied his heart. Adrien began to hold both of Vino's hands gently.

Smooth music began to sing.

"Vino, I believe in you"

Vino looked at Adrien's face, she nodded confidently. Adrien smiles, he is sure Vino knows how to dance.

They beautifully started dancing. Slowly they stepped right and left. The guests there could only be surprised that the girl could dance. Chiara there gaped, seeing that her adopted Elf girl was proficient in dancing.

"That elf can dance?"

"I'm more afraid that our kingdom will fall into the hands of the enemy."

"What if she actually bewitches the prince? That elf could be a WITCH!"

Whispers of gossip began to spread here and there among the palace elite. The mouths spreading slander began to take action. Especially Chiara and her five children. Even so, they both enjoyed dancing to the delicate and beautiful music.

"I didn't know you could dance Vino. Hten, It's time"

Vino who heard that could only smile blushed in embarrassment. After a few moments they stopped. A religious leader came forward, preparing to marry them. They both stopped, then lowered their heads until their foreheads touched.

The atmosphere instantly became silent, and the sacred contract began.

"In the name and with God's permission, I will unite two human beings as a legitimate husband and wife! Prince, you are now can kiss your wife's forehead."

The prince slowly kissed his new wife's forehead.

A grain of marble debris fell from the sky. Adrien saw that and.............

..............To Be Continued...............