Erica

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King Aleric smiled at the thought of making her Queen. He was very fond of her, more so than he had realised at the time.

The brief moments he had spent with her had been his happiest. She had unknowingly charmed him with her gentle nature and small quirks.

At first, it was an infatuation, a mild longing that he thought would disappear with time but the more time that had passed with her absent from his side, the more desperate he became to reunite with her.

Perhaps he was the love-struck fool and not Louis?

Aleric smiled at the thought and brought the wine glass to his lips.

His subtle expression brought flutters to the hearts of those watching him from below. Quite a few noble ladies had been watching the gorgeous man like a hawk, unable to take their eyes off him from the moment they caught a glimpse of him.

Sibyl Alvore in particular had been solely focussed on the king.

She believed that this was the night that she would obtain the position by his side. A position she believed no one else but herself deserved.

Unfortunately, by the time the shallow girl arrived at the Trencent ball, King Aleric had already positioned himself on the balcony - a place forbidden for any to go near. The man was unreachable.

Sibyl starred off at him longingly before glaring at any other poor ladies who dared eye him to long. She needed them to know that she had already claimed him and would let nothing get in the way.

"Leave them be Sibyl. You should not let those beneath us upset you." The Countess Alvore smiled as she whispered to the girl, but there was a subtle warning in her eyes.

"Mother... I do not want them to get in the way." Sibyl whined.

"And they will not." The Countess smiled and gently shook the gold bracelet that sat around her wrist.

It took Sibyl a few seconds before she understood the hint. The corners of her lips twitched sinisterly.

The Countess Alvore had prepared a very special item of jewellery for the grand event. The gold bracelet held beautiful charms that were all filled with a nasty little liquid.

Three drops were enough to cause an immediate disruption to the stomach. It was enough to humiliate anyone who dared consume it in a public setting. It was harmless but embarrassing.

The Countess Alvore only prepared this little concoction for she too wished Sibyl to be queen and would be damned if she let anyone steal her daughter's place. The Countess knew that Sibyl was not particularly very intelligent and would more than likely fail without her mother's help.

"Mother, he is looking over this way." Sibyl excitedly gushed.

The Countess just smiled at the girl and looked up at the King.

Sure, enough it seemed that Aleric was indeed looking that them, but the man's piercing gaze was locked in on something else.

He placed his wine glass down before moving away from the balcony's edge and into the shadows. This only meant one thing, he was heading back down to the dance floor.

"He recognised me. I knew that he would come for me." Sibyl purposefully flaunted loud enough for those around her to hear.

When King Aleric reached the bottom of the staircase his eyes desperately searched for what he had believed to have seen earlier.

His heart was now pounding.

Erica.

He was so certain that he had caught a brief sighting of her.

She was here.

His feet directed him to where he had seen her. His stride was purposeful and adamant.

"Your Majesty." Sibyl began, her face softly reddened by the prominent blush on her cheeks.

The King completely ignored her. He had not even noticed the girl as he passed by. His focus still searching for Erica.

Sibyl was both shocked and disgruntled at his actions,

How dare he? She was clearly the most beautiful lady in the whole kingdom, and he had just overlooked her like it was nothing.

There was obviously something else. He was distracted and to focussed on whatever it was to notice her.

"So now that you are King, you will not even greet me?" A warm and amused voice interrupted Aleric's search.

"I did not think that you would make it." Aleric momentarily stopped and acknowledged the Duke of Waisend. The Duke was a man that the young King held a great deal of respect for.

"Oh you know exactly why I am here. Do not pretend." The Duke chuckled.

"The final choice was yours." Aleric innocently smiled before his eyes glanced around the area.

He needed to find her.

"Very funny." The Duke reached for a glass from a passing servant before observing the strange behaviour the man before him was displaying.

"Who is she?" The Duke of Waisend knowingly smiled.

Aleric's eyes darted towards him as if he was startled by the question.

"What? Do not look so surprised. It is pretty obvious in your determined expression; you are looking for someone." The Duke chuckled, his tone teasing, "Unless you came all the way here just to see me because you missed me?"

"Of course." Aleric gave him a playful smile before distractedly looking over the Duke's shoulder.

His heart skipped a beat.

She was right there just a few metres from where he stood.

She had not noticed him as she was politely conversing with the Duchess of Waisend as they walked away.

"Go." The Duke smiled at him, "Do not let me stop you."

King Aleric gave him a grateful smile before rushing after her.

He was relieved, excited and desperate to reach her. All these emotions caused his heart to pound with each stride it took to get closer to her.

Her back was to him. Her small frame looked so delicate as he neared her.

The Duchess of Waisend noticed the King approaching and halted her steps, Erica mirroring her movements so graciously.

Erica gave a confused glance to the Duchess. She had not noticed Aleric who stood just centimetres behind her.

"Your Majesty." The Duchess of Waisend curtsied acknowledging the King.

A sharp tingle ran up Erica's spine causing goose bumps to softly appear on the back of her exposed neck as she suddenly began fully aware of the powerful presence behind her. For some strange reason it felt very familiar.

Her heart began beating loudly in her ears as she slowly turned. She was mildly startled at how close he stood.

Without even thinking or daring to even look at the man, she bowed her head and tried to step back to curtsy.

She let out a startled gasp when she felt a gentle but warm hand grab her own stopping her movements as his head bowed to her and warm lips were placed on the smooth skin of her hand.

The most powerful man in the kingdom performed such an act and she was left to frozen to move.

Slowly his piercing eyes met her own as he raised his head an unrecognisable glint dancing in their depths as he refused to let her hand go.

Erica immediately recognised the charming man before her as her heart skipped a beat.

Rick.