"Your Majesty." Two handmaidens curtsied to me as I walked into my room, my heart still racing and my face flushed.

"Ladies." I smiled back at them.

"Well, well, well." Octavia smirked, spinning around in my vanity chair with her arms crossed over her chest. "Someone looks like they got a little messy." She grinned.

I ignored her teasing and just smiled. "Better help me get un-messy then because I believe I have a date tonight." I said happily. Truly happy.

"Well then," she grinned. "Have a seat and let us work our magic. Just wait until you see your dress." She said clapping her hands and getting up to give me her seat.

"Speaking of dresses." I said as I plopped down and she began to wipe away my tarnished makeup and re-priming my face while the other two girls flitted around the room, collecting the right brushes and sprays to begin working on my hair. "Yours is gorgeous." I nodded to her.

"Well, thanks." She laughed. "High praise from a queen no less." She winked. "Your dress is going to make mine look like a burlap sack."

I scoffed at her. "I highly doubt that." I told her, looking down at her dress. It was a nice wine color that made her ivory skin seem to glow. It was snug at the waist where it synched and then fanned out to the floor with a short train. She had her hair styled into a waterfall braid in the back and her diamond tear drop earrings were glittering mesmerizingly.

She quickly re-did my makeup, adding a little extra shimmer to my eyes and then she directed the girls to leave my hair down in my natural waves but to add a few diamond pins to pull back one side so that it didn't fall down into my face. When they were done they placed my tiara on my head and I laughed into the mirror. I looked like a storybook queen, not a low down lying queen of darkness and the vampires. There was a soft knock on my door and Octavia dashed over to pull it open. "Finally!" She cheered. "It is here!"

She ran over to me with the dress bag and unzipped it slowly and I knew the second I saw it that I had never wanted to wear anything else more. It was an ivory strapless sweetheart cut gown that had a corseted back, but what was the most beautiful thing about it was that the full skirt of it was adorned with gorgeous rose gold designs with hidden little roses in the pattern. I shook my head smiling like an idiot as I waited for them to get it out of the bag and I stepped into it, feeling the luxury of the fabric and then waited impatiently for them to lace of the back.

No sooner than they finished it, there was another knock on the door and Octavia grinned at me from ear to ear.

"No, I'm not ready yet!" I whispered to her. "Shoes?"

She quickly passed me a pair of rose gold stilettoes and pointed me towards the bathroom. I grabbed them and ran for it while she went to answer the door. I closed the bathroom door as I slid my feet into the shoes and fastened the straps before leaning against the door to listen.

"Ladies, you all look lovely." He greeted them.

I quickly shifted so that I could look at myself in the mirror, and I was more than pleased with their work. I took two quick deep breaths and I willed the swarm of butterflies with their angry beating wings in my stomach to calm down so that I could function. Calvin was going to love this.

I opened the door and stepped out into the main room slowly. I had been so excited for Calvin to see me, thinking I was going to knock him out, that I hadn't been prepared for him to knock me out instead. My breath hitched and my jaw went slack slightly as I took in the glorious sight before me.

Calvin.

Calvin in a fitted black tux and black bowtie with his hair gelled over to the side and a seductive grin on his face.

"Wow." He muttered before I could.

"Yeah, wow." I nodded. "You look...wow."

Calvin grinned broadly, the light dancing in his eyes before he shot across the room in a flash and was suddenly standing right in front of me, his cold hand lifting mine to his curved lips and kissing it gently. "I believe you asked me to pick you up?" He asked with a hint of mischief in his eyes.

"I did." I said carefully.

"As you wish." He chuckled before I was suddenly off of my feet and we were practically flying from the room, stopping only momentarily in the elevator where he gazed down at me the whole time before the doors opened again and we were off.

He finally deposited me back on my own feet outside of the giant double doors outside of the grand ballroom, the sound of laughter and music creeping out from the other side.

I giggled as I tried to catch my breath and I wondered idly how long it had been since I had actually giggled. My guess would be about five years. I smiled up at him, admiring him again. "You know that wasn't exactly what I meant." I pointed out and he shrugged his broad shoulders.

"I know." He said. "But I felt that the way you look right now, it would just be wrong for me to keep you all to myself. Beauty like this deserves to be seen, admired, and worshipped." He mused, then leaned down closer to cup my face in one hand. "You are the single most beautiful woman in all of the world, and it is my absolute honor to be standing at your side right now." He whispered.

I blushed lightly at his praise and ducked my eyes a little, trying to break the intensity between us before I mess up my makeup again. "You're pretty hot yourself." I smiled.

He raised his eyebrows and his eyes were amused. "Hot, am I?" He laughed. "Well, I don't know about that, but I know I can't wait to show you off. Are you ready?" He asked and I nodded. As long as he was at my side I could do anything.

Calvin nodded to the guards at the doors and they both bowed their heads to us quickly before pulling open the doors for us.

We walked out onto the red velvet carpet of the grand stair case and everyone in the room seems to stop what they are doing to turn our direction as they all started to cheer and clap, some even screaming my name out. I could feel my blush coming, but I tried to smile and not seem nervous at all even though my stomach was in knots.

Calvin let go of my hand for a moment to step back slightly, then he began to clap his hands as he looked at me just like everyone else, then bowed to me before looping my arm through his again and leading me down the stairs into the people.

The ballroom was ginormous with high arched ceilings and at least a dozen large chandeliers hanging down with probably thousands of individual candles on each of them. The room glowed with the light of the candles and the twinkling lights that were crisscrossed over the entire room. To the right side of the room there were hundreds of round tables with white linens and people eating and drinking in their golden chairs. Right at the bottom of the grand staircase there was a dancefloor and more throngs of people wearing their very best, spinning and swaying around happily. In the back of the room I could see the elevated table that was meant for us.

I smiled at the memory of the first time I walked into this room and Pedro presented me to the royal family. It's funny how at the time that was such an awful place for me to be and I was hating my life, but little did I know that soon I would dance with the sulky prince and we would find love.

Calvin leaned over to me as we cut through the dancers and smiled and greeted them as we passed. "I remember the first time I saw you." He whispered as we walked. "I thought I couldn't even consider you because of your...potency. I was so angry when I saw the doors open and you stepped out. I thought of course the most beautiful girl is the one I can't have." He smiled.

"And then I insulted you by my preference to food over princes." I reminded him and he chuckled lightheartedly.

"Yes." He agreed. "Then you opened that mouth of your and I knew I was in trouble."

We arrived at our table and Calvin walked me around to the back before pulling out my chair for me. I noticed there were three chairs, not only two, but I ignored it for now and took my spot of the right side of Calvin. I looked out at all of the people and I was astonished again at how normal this all felt. They just looked like people. They talked and laughed and danced without a care, every now and then a few glancing up our way and then smiling brighter. You'd never know what they really are.

Calvin reached over placing his hand on my knee and I drew my attention back to him. I laughed a little when I noticed his crown had shifted and was now sitting crookedly on top of his head and I quickly fixed it for him before looking into his eyes seriously.

"Do you ever regret it?" He asked suddenly.

"Regret what?" I asked.

He shrugged one shoulder. "Letting me in, I guess."

"Never." I said firmly and he smiled. "Do you ever regret giving me a chance when you had been so dead set on not getting attached to anyone?"

"Not even in the slightest, smallest, tiniest part of the back of my mind have I ever regretted getting to know what loving someone...loving you, felt like."

His words washed me in a calmness that only Calvin could produce. I held his hand under the table and we both turned our attention to the party goers in front of us. I scanned the room for familiar faces and after a minute I finally found Octavia. She was standing off to the side of the dancefloor in a corner and she was laughing. She shifted slightly and I was surprised to see Logan was here. He looked slightly uncomfortable in his suit and surrounded with all of these people, but his eyes were focused on one person. I probably should have felt jealous, but I didn't, not with my hand in Calvin's.

The double doors opened back up and I looked up to see Master Marco and Miss Angela arriving together "Are they a couple?" I asked Calvin. He turned to look at me and made a face then rolled his eyes. "Figures." I said.

"Shall I get my queen something to eat?" Calvin asked and I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Who do you think I am?" I joked. "Of course I want some food." I told him. He chuckled as he stood and pushed his chair in. "Don't forget my damn cobbler." I called to him and I could tell he was laughing as he turned away.

"Of course, can't forget the damn cobbler." He called back as he disappeared into the crowd.

I looked back up as man ran over to Marco at the top of the stairs and passed him what looked like a microphone and two large screens came down from the ceiling on either side of the stairs.

"Good evening everyone." Marco said into the mic and everyone turned to give him their attention. "I'm so happy to see you all enjoying this joyous occasion. Everyone please join me in giving our beautiful Queen Rachel a hand to let her know how happy we are to have her back in Castrum de Petra with us!" He cheered and the crowd erupted, all turning to look at me as they celebrated me.

It felt strange to be so welcomed, but I stood from my seat and waived to everyone. I could see myself up on the screens and I was relieved to know I didn't look as much like a fish out of water as I felt. I was still looking up so I didn't even notice the man rushing towards me until he was tackled by two guards right in front of my table.

"You are not my queen!" The man yelled from the ground as he grappled with the guards. "You are a deserter and a liar! You will suffer for your crimes one way or another, even if the king and the council want to cover for you! You will pay!" He yelled, kicking his feet as the guards drug him away.

Calvin was back at my side in an instant, putting the plates in his hands down on the table with a thud and then stepping slightly in front of me protectively. "Don't listen to him." He whispered, but I felt sick to my stomach.

The room was deadly silent as Marco cleared his throat, pulling the attention back to him. "Now," He began again, looking annoyed that his moment was being messed up. "We are not only here to welcome back our current queen." He said emphasizing the word current. "We are also here to make a fantastic announcement. Some of you may know, but our late King Gordo was quite the skilled entertainer, and one of his best feats was the competition for queen." He said, pausing to let some people take in what he was saying. "Our dear Queen Rachel has been away for quite some time, so to ensure her fitness to still rule not only us, but our dear King Calvin's heart, I am here to announce that there will be a new competition!" There were shocked gasps from some, and confused looks from others. "One of our last competitions crowd favorites is back to try again at winning over not only all of you fine ladies and gentlemen, but our king as well." He smiled a big fake grin and I wanted to roll my eyes but I knew my face was still being blasted on the screens and I didn't want anyone to see my unhappiness. "Without further ado, let's give a hand for Miss Lexton!" He called out and the doors opened again and there she was.

She smiled shyly and waived slightly to the people who called out her name. She was wearing a beaded black and white gown that accentuated her tall thin frame, and her jet black hair was up in a knotted bun on top of her head. Marco held out the mic to her and she leaned in. "Hello." She smiled. "So happy to be given this chance." She said simply, then leaned away from the mic and clasped her hands in front of her.

"Thank you, Miss Lexton." Marco smiled to her then turned back to the crowd. "In two days the competition is set to begin, but until then, let us celebrate our queen's homecoming." He said. Just like Octavia had said, tonight was a backhanded honor for me. Welcome back to our queen who we intend to replace in three weeks.

Calvin turned to me as the crowd went back to their partying, and Lexton began her decent down the stairs towards us. "I'm sorry, Rachel." He sighed. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, Cal." I sighed.

Lexton approached the table apprehensively and stepped up to walk over to the chair on the other side of Calvin's. Calvin turned to pull out her seat for her. "Lexton." He smiled at her. "How are you?" He asked, making sure to smile for the cameras.

"I'm as good as can be expected." She replied as she took her seat.

I leaned around Calvin. "Hello, Lexton." I smiled at her and she grinned up at me timidly.

"Nice to see you again, Rachel." She replied courtly.

Calvin put his hand on the back of his chair, pulling it back, but I put my hand on top of his and shook my head, tilting it over to the side. He followed me off to the side of the room away from Lexton and he reached out to hold my hand. "I'm so sorry about all of this, Rachel, I can't imagine how difficult this is fo-." He was saying until I reached up to put my finger to his lips.

"Don't." I whispered. "Don't ruin it." Calvin's lips turned up at the edges and he tilted his head to me questioningly. "I'm not letting anything ruin our night." I told him. "You're here, I'm here, and there is a table covered with food, and a huge dance floor." I laughed. "Can you do something for me?" I asked. "Can we please just pretend, even if it is just for tonight, that we are just two normal people? You're just Calvin and I'm just Rachel. Can we just enjoy our night together?"

His eyes were warm as he looked down at me and cupped my face. "Anything for you." He whispered. "Now come on, just Rachel, I want to spin you around this dancefloor." He laughed and he did as he promised. We ran to the dancefloor and with his arms around me, I ignored everyone else around us for tonight.

Just Calvin, and just Rachel.

Just in love.