Ancient Guardians: The Uninvited (9 page)

“I wouldn’t care if you licked your fingers.” He smiled wryly.

“In that case, I’ll be sure to take my gloves off before I eat.”

Levi and Reece laughed in unison as the carriages halted. Levi put his top hat on, adjusted it, and gave Reece a confident smile. Her eyes glistened as she studied him. “You look extremely handsome in that hat.”

“Enjoy it while you have the opportunity.” Levi said dryly.

Their conversation was interrupted when the carriage door was opened by a servant. Levi stepped out and dismissed the man in order to assist Reece personally. Upon descending from the carriage, he drew her arm into his. He glanced down, and the pride he felt having her at his side was indescribable.

Together they followed Navarre, Allestaine, and Elizabeth into the Hamilton’s home. Once in the grand foyer, the emperor and his family were greeted by King and Queen Hamilton, the hosts of the evening. King Hamilton, with his usual wit, managed to engage them all in a short, humorous conversation before the group was escorted into the large reception area. After numerous formal introductions to many different kings and their queens, Allestaine brought Reece and Elizabeth off alone and began introducing Reece to some of her closest friends.

Levi and Harrison stood in conversation with their fathers while the guests awaited the announcement for dinner. From where he stood, Levi had an excellent view of the entire room. His eyes focused intently on Reece, watching in humor the numerous expressions that crossed her face. His heart swelled with love for her as he watched her animated personality radiate from across the room. The different women that she was being introduced to seemed impressed by her, and Levi understood why. There was something extremely unique about Reece’s outgoing personality; she could make any stranger feel comfortable in her presence. Her kind heart, high-spirited nature, and friendly personality drew people to her; not only on Earth, but also here in this room of royals. For the first time in his life, he found himself enjoying one of these ostentatious celebrations.

“I’ll say,” King Hamilton said as he came up from behind Levi and clapped him on his shoulder, “I do not believe I have ever witnessed Levi appear so…” His eyebrows knit together as he studied Levi’s face in humor, “so bright-eyed at a ball before.” He finished with a teasing grin.

“That, my lord, is because Miss Bryant has never been in attendance,” Harrison said with a laugh.

Levi pursed his lips in humor. “True.”

King Hamilton grinned and addressed Harrison. “Surely the next surprise to be heard throughout all of Pemdas shall be when
you
settle down with a lovely lady of your own.”

Harrison rolled his eyes as King Nathaniel, and Navarre laughed in unison. “The odds of you capturing a three-headed dragon are better than you seeing Harry settle down.” Nathaniel teased.

“Not the analogy I would use, father, but I believe your point is well-taken.”

Levi remained quiet and watched Reece discretely while the men continued to tease Harrison about his prejudices towards relationships. Dinner was announced, and the multitude of guests began filtering into the dining hall. Levi quickly made his way to Reece, and they followed behind the emperor and empress into the large room.

Levi noted the glint in her eyes and her bright expression. “You appear to be enjoying yourself, Miss Bryant.”

“Indeed, I am, Your Imperial Highness.” Reece teased as she smiled up at his amused expression.

Levi laughed and subtly rolled his eyes at her formality. He brought his hand up to cover the hand she had on his arm. “It appears as though we need to get you out of here before all of these Pemdai formalities start to take over.”

Seating had been pre-arranged by the evening’s hosts, situating the guests sporadically amongst each other. This was a common practice at social affairs in Pemdas, the intent being to encourage the guests to make new acquaintances.

Levi dutifully escorted Reece to a seat that was across the table and adjacent to where he would be sitting. He cringed when he saw the young man whose seat was next to hers.
How could Prather have possibly been invited to this event?
His lips tightened, but fortunately, he concealed his expression of irritation when Reece glanced up at him. He offered her a reassuring smile, and then strode over to his seat. After King Hamilton gave a quick greeting to the evening’s guests, they were all seated, and the staff began bringing out an abundance of food.

As Levi ate, he politely interacted with the two young women seated on either side of him; but he was also keenly aware of Mark Prather’s persistent conversation with Reece. The young man was disrespectful in every way. Of all the people Reece could be seated next to at her first social event, it had to be him.

As the meal slowly progressed, Levi felt his frustration rising. Each time Reece would attempt to take a bite of her food, the man would ask her pointless question.

“Mr. Prather, I appreciate your fervent concern about how I feel living in Pemdas, but I would love the opportunity to enjoy this delicious meal, too,” Reece said in a low voice.

“Miss Bryant, the food is quite delicious,” Mr. Prather replied. “Do you find any differences in dining on Earth as to that of dining in Pemdas?”

The expression on Reece’s face in response to Mr. Prather having ignored her statement was enough for Levi to finally intervene on her behalf. As Levi began to interject, King Hamilton abruptly spoke out.

“Mark Prather!” King Hamilton announced from the head of the table. “Tell me, how is your uncle these days?” He swallowed a sip of his wine. “You must know I was astounded to see you standing in for him this evening.”

Levi sat back and watched intently as the young man’s faced displayed frustration for King Hamilton’s blatant interruption. Then, as the table grew silent waiting for the young man to reply, Mr. Prather’s face turned to that of embarrassment. He glanced over at Levi, only to see Levi’s disapproving expression, which was waiting for the man’s response.

“Forgive me, my lord,” Mark answered, after he brought a napkin to his lips. “What was your question?”

Maybe if you closed your mouth for once this evening, you would hear what people said when they spoke to you,
Levi thought.

King Hamilton’s eyes narrowed as he smiled cynically at Mr. Prather. “I do believe this is the first time I have ever been asked to repeat myself.” He laughed as he looked at Navarre sitting to his right.

Navarre studied the young man silently. Ever since issues with Simone and Michael Visor endeavoring to harm Reece had arisen, the emperor had a heightened awareness of those he didn’t necessarily trust being in her presence.

“I believe the good king was inquiring as to why you are so fortunate to be in our presence tonight,” Harrison interjected loudly from the opposite end of the table.

Mr. Prather glared at Harrison and cleared his throat. “Forgive me, King Hamilton; I thought you received the missive.” he sighed as his expression turned to sorrow. “My uncle is still unwell.”

“Unwell?” Navarre interjected with a stern expression. “This is certainly news to me. When did he become ill?”

“Your Majesty, please have no concern. My uncle seems to be recovering, although he did not wish to make the long journey to Sandari. He expressed his apologies in the missive.” Mr. Prather took a sip of his wine, and Levi could see that the young man was seeking to avoid any more talk about his uncle’s situation. “The kingdom is well, and I can tell you this from personally standing in place of King Prather while he has been ill.”

Levi and Harrison exchanged knowing glances.

Navarre sipped his wine. “Mr. Prather, I am deeply interested in continuing the conversation after dinner.” He looked at King Hamilton. “Perhaps we can retire to a more private area after we have finished dining.”

King Hamilton nodded. “Of course.”

“As I just mentioned, your Imperial Majesty,” Mr. Prather spoke out boldly, “It is nothing of concern. Please do not relinquish your enjoyment of the evening’s festivities over a simple illness.”

Navarre’s features darkened. “I will do as I please, Mr. Prather,” he said in a low, commanding voice. “And right now, your uncle’s health is of concern to me, be it your concern or not.”

Mark nodded. “If it does please Your Majesty, the kingdom is quite well.”

“As I said, we will continue this conversation in a more private setting.” Navarre answered.

Levi exhaled at the blatant absurdity of the man. Fortunately, King Hamilton quickly spoke out, attempting to end the conversation until Navarre could speak with the man in private.

“Now, I wish for nothing more than my guests to be happily filled with their meal this evening; and it seems as though Miss Bryant might be the only one in attendance who may indeed leave hungry due to your incessant chattering at her. Perhaps you’ll allow her a reprieve in order for her to take a bite?” The king said as he brushed his hand over his well-trimmed beard.

Mr. Prather’s face instantly matched the color of his fiery-red hair. Levi smiled at Reece, who was refraining from laughter as she stared at the food on her plate. Navarre and Levi exchanged subtle glances, knowing that only King Hamilton would outwardly embarrass a guest in such a way. Even though it was brazen and may have offended some attendees, Levi didn’t care, and once again found himself admiring the king for his bold personality. Although the mood at the table seemed to calm, Navarre seemed notably disturbed by his conversation with Mr. Prather.

The remainder of dinner was uneventful. Reece was finally able to enjoy her meal in peace, as Mr. Prather remained silent and unengaged from the entire dinner party. The guests were soon finishing their desserts, and Levi wasted no time dismissing himself and Reece from the others so that they could share a moment alone. They sauntered out to the balcony, both enjoying the crisp, salty air blowing in from the oceanfront. Levi used this opportunity to apologize to Reece for Mr. Prather’s rudeness, and that she had to suffer through his interruptions at dinner.

Reece and Levi’s solitude was soon interrupted by other guests slowly filtering out onto the balcony. The sounds of the orchestra tuning their instruments alerted Levi that the dancing would soon commence.

“Miss Bryant,” he said with a grin. “I believe your first dance is spoken for by a gentleman who is significantly spellbound by your beauty. Shall we rejoin the guests in the ballroom?”

Reece lifted her chin and accepted his offered arm. “Yes, we shall.”

The guests were lined up facing their dancing partners, waiting for the music to begin. Levi watched in humor as Reece stared down at his feet. He cupped her chin and raised her eyes up to meet his. “Nervous?” he asked softly.

Reece narrowed her eyes some. “I think
you
should be the one who’s nervous.”

The music began, and Levi took her right hand into his left, and placed his other on her slender waist. Despite Reece’s nervousness about dancing, her performance was impeccable, and Levi was quite impressed. Once the dance was over, Levi led Reece to the refreshment table.

“This will be the most trying part of the evening for me,” Levi said, as he offered Reece her flute of sparkling wine.

Reece took a sip. “So this is where we have to split up?” She smiled at him playfully. “Now, it would be an insult to the evening’s hosts if I were to turn down a request from a man to dance with me, right?”

“If you are uncomfortable in any way, feel free to dismiss yourself. You are not obligated to dance with everyone in the room.”

Reece gulped the last of her wine, handed Levi the glass and said, “Don’t even trip, I’ve got this.” She smiled brightly. “You worry too much; I’ll be fine.”

Levi choked on his laughter, knowing very well he had nothing to worry about with Reece. He reached for her hand and brought it to his lips. “So it seems.” He said with a laugh as Elizabeth and her closest friend, Angeline Hamilton, approached them.

“Ladies,” Levi acknowledged them with a proud grin.

As Levi assisted the two young women with their drinks, King Hamilton approached from behind and requested a dance with Reece. Levi used this opportunity to admire his future wife from a distance. He also took notice that there were more men than women at this gathering, and it would be quite easy for him to avoid dancing with any partners other than his sister and his mother.

After a few dance sets with his mother, sister, and her friend Angeline, Levi spent the remainder of the evening in conversation with his father, King Hamilton, King Nathanial, and some of the other men. The night was playing out extremely well. Reece appeared to be extremely happy, and every now and then she would smile at him with a flirtatious grin. The only unfortunate part of the evening was that it wasn’t passing fast enough, or so he thought. His selfish worry about wanting Reece all to himself was rapidly replaced with concern when she reentered the ballroom with Elizabeth and Angeline.

When they returned from what Levi believed was a trip to the ladies powder room, Reece’s face was pale and expressionless. She made eye contact with Levi, and then quickly diverted her eyes and disappeared into the crowd of women standing near the refreshment table.

Levi dismissed himself from the group of young men he was in conversation with to find Reece. He wasn’t sure what could have happened, but her lively appearance from moments before was non-existent. As he walked through the group of women, he was approached by Isabelle Hamilton.

“Levi.” She curtseyed and gazed up into his eyes. “I haven’t had the opportunity to speak with you this evening. Forgive my rudeness.”

Levi acknowledged her politely while he continued to study his surroundings, looking for Reece. Given his current concern about his future wife, the last person he wanted to encounter was the woman he had formerly courted. Even though he was annoyed by the interruption, Levi had shown nothing but the proper respect for King Hamilton’s oldest daughter. “Miss Hamilton, there is no need to apologize. There are many in attendance, and I am sure you have been detained by your guests. Think nothing of it.”