Dedicated to; @red_carnelian. Thanks for relentlessly reading this book and commenting. I love you a lot KELLËN.

Chapter sixteen.

Manøvie.

What was happening?

Why was I feeling like this? This- heavenly feeling? Was I crazy? I couldn't let my heart beat like this for somebody else, Tõrontõ to be precise. He was my best friend, my best friend...

Wasn't Sobêiski my best friend as well before I fell in love with him? Oh my goodness!

I kept staring at Tõrontõ even as the music in the background started to die into silence. Our lips hovering over each other and slightly brushing at our proximity. He didn't try to kiss me this time,although the glint in his eyes did swirl with the desire of doing it.

Suddenly, as if noticing our demeanor, his grip on my waist loosened and he stepped away from me. The dance wasn't over yet but he bowed and obviously as culture, I had to curtsey.

"Well that was....brief," Armioné chanted, embarrassment and discomfort blemishing her face.

Her distinct body language made me tense with shame as well. Tõrontõ and I had just disrespected the prince and princess by doing that. I glanced over at the musicians whose faces were dropped to the ground, murmuring and silently giggling at each other.

"I'd love to stay longer but I have to leave, I had promised to ride out with Ronen this Afternoon." the prince concocted an excuse to leave the muffled tension around us.

He kissed his sister and I goodbye then nodded at Tõrontõ before his exit.

"I'm so sorry,Princess. I don't know the whole Solorato dance..." I started

"No no, don't be silly. It's perfectly fine!" she came to my side "You're in luck because Tõrontõ here can teach you the rest of the routine." she smiled, swiveling us so we could face him

"Don't you agree?" She asked nudging my hip with hers.

I simply bobbed my head affirmatively and she smiled again.

"Excellent,Tõrontõ take very good care of her." she instructed him then turned to me "I'm gonna go place the other gowns aside for you. I'll be seeing you around,my lady."

After kissing each side of my face, she wiggled her fingers at Tõrontõ and left as well. Now, it was only him and I- and the musicians ofcourse.

With a large exhale, I lifted my eyes at Tõrontõ. His hair was pulled into a messy back plait that ran from the crown of his head to the nape of his neck with its loosened fringes touching his forehead.

As usual, he wore no shirt, exposing his sun tanned chiseled chest and biceps wrapped in discrete and assorted tattoos. His pants were laced around his torso this time, right below his navel.

We stood Infront of each other- speechless, letting our eyes speak for us. I personally, was lost of all words since this morning. I wasn't even sure that any of this would happen- just like how I wouldn't have imagined him trying to kiss me.

I mean, isn't our obliviousness what gives life meaning and interest!

"Manøvie.." he started, coming closer. My skin wound tighter than before. His post silence took longer than I had expected however, I waited- patiently.

"You...you look beautiful!" his compliment came out as a soft whisper, he averted my gaze- jaw clenching as his fingers squeezed his eyes.

"You dance beautifully," I said, looking straight at him knowing he would meet my gaze and he did.

He was surprised at my flattery.

Tõrontõ walked slowly towards me,took my hands and lifted them to his lips-planting soft kisses on them. My heart was moon walking across my ribcage, dancing with butterflies and anxiety.

He held my cheek slowly, stepping closer and leaning in to kiss me now. Prudently studying my reactions before perpetuating further down; our lips dovetailed, ready to mingle into each other. I had melted into his touch with great fervour- not allowing anything to hold me back.

"Hey,Tõrontõ we're leaving!" some one burst into the room,causing us to break the kiss although he still held onto me.

We shot our regard to the large doors, a young woman stood there with one hand holding the door open. I quickly recognized her as the one who had nudged Tõrontõ earlier this morning when I had arrived with the princess.

She was probably older than me by a year or so. Nonetheless, she was extremely beautiful. Her dark wavy hair fell to the sides of her face almost to her waist. Her skin was a warm hazel with smears of a light pink here and there giving her an extra sheer.

She had a perfect set of long curvy legs that hang exposed from her Solorato feather dress, it hugged her body in all the right places from her fully nubile breasts to her wide hips that stood visible even as she was transfixed.

From my area view, I noticed how thick and warm her eyes were,encased by glistening lashes and brows. A cute button nose above full parted plump lips from which I also noticed an aligned gap between her two front teeth.

She was indeed a rare black beauty.

"Give me a heads start, Univia and I'll be with the rest of the crew soon," Tõrontõ told her.

Univia threw the both of us one last glance then sidled back out of the door,letting it to shut heavily into its frame.

"I have to go," he looked back down at me.

"It's okay. I have to return to the Temple as well." I shrugged,slowly wiggling out of his arms.

He bobbed his head  apprehensively then kissed my cheek and left.

I stared after him, watching his figure thin out from my view. I sighed and cleared my throat,rubbing my palms over my face.

What was the meaning of all this? Had I let go of my forbidden sentiment towards Sobêiski and taken on a special liking for Tõrontõ or was my mind and heart playing games on me? I couldn't just have fallen out of love with Sobêiski so suddenly as that- maybe I had mustered the strength and I did.

Who knows?

I requested one of the palace maids to inform the princess that I had left for the Temple. One of the carriage valets offered to ride me back home and in about no time, I heard the horses start to slow down as we arrived Infront of the magestic Temple.

"Thank-you so much," I appreciated as he helped me down.I watched him ride away before I swiveled for the main steps.

"My lady!!! Lady Manøvie!"

Urgh-again??!!!

I craned my head to my side in search of who was invoking me. My aggravation tensed when I saw Dihané, Sobêiski's mother approaching where I stood.

"Lady Dihané, is anything the matter?"

"Come with me quick! We can't be seen together," she grabbed me by the arm and dragged me up the steps and into the Temple where she inspected the halls with keen scrutiny before pulling me towards my chambers.

All I knew for sure was that she had perhaps found out about my involvement with her son and she was going to let me have it today. She and I had not been so close even after Sobêiski and I had become best friends, she must not have liked me very much.

And I don't blame her either.

Dihané whisked me into the room and squeezed the door shut silently- waiting for a few minutes to calm her breath before actually pivoting to face me.

"I-I can explain everything,my lady. It was never Sobêiski's fault.. I'm totally to blame... I," I begun to plead, falling to my knees and holding my hands together for mercy

"Enough, Manøvie. I'm not here to hold you accountable for anything but to warn you and ask for your help," she came and knelt Infront of me

Huh? Ask for my help....what for?

"Please," tears seeped into her blue eyes, her lower lip quivering as she now held her hands up at me as well. "I don't want him to kill my son!" She sobbed

"Kill your... who's going to kill Sobêiski?" I snapped in shock and bafflement

"Lord Lucaí, he doesn't want Sobêiski to be high priest. He knows about the two of you and he's planning all ways of killing him before his consecration!"

"Lord Lucaí?" I fell back to the ground.

"Yes, he's building something in the Temple's attic but I don't know what it is," Dihané brushed her tears off her face and availed me up so we could sit on my bed.

"It's a breast plate but I didn't get to see it well." I told her

"You've been up there, when?" She frowned at me

"Many days back, I thought it was a gift he was preparing for Sobêiski!"

"Gift! From Lord Lucaí?" She scoffed "Even the great volcano would fall to pieces just at the sight of that!"

I stifled a laugh at her sarcasm just as the images of the two men who I had followed down the corridor pervaded my mind's eye...

Everything came back to me, now I understood who they were talking about all along. I knew Lord Lucaí wasn't benevolent enough to benedict Sobêiski with that breast plate as a welcoming gift into high priesthood.

But if it wasn't a gift then who was it for? what was he going to use it as, with all those stone carats within the square segments! It had to be important some how.

I always knew he wasn't the chaste type- my suspicions about him had always been acute though I knew not what he had shoved up his sleeve.

"The most ironic thing of all is that Lucaí is Sobêiski's father," I heard Dihané say from the back of my thoughts

"Excuse me?" I corked an eyebrow at her.

Her wet gaze fell to her fingers as she visibly reminisced over the past moments. Her tears oozing to her cheeks as a sign of her pain and sombre.

She and Lord Lucaí had been together? Like literally together and even had a son!!

This was the most difficult thing to apprehend.

Lord Lucaí had the face of a predator, a man seeking to please and satisfy his own desire without the thought of those he left on the ground as he advanced. He didn't depict the aura of being inlove or making love to someone.

Perhaps he raped her! That's the only suitable conclusion for me, because a woman as seraphic as Dihané would never in her right mind want to be with a man like him!

Unless otherwise of course.Who knows the ways of love and it's incoherent logic?

"Lucaí and I were very much inlove during our teenage years, we had promised so much to each other. Well, that was before he found out that he was the one to take over the high priest role from his grand uncle.

When he went to the Temple for his studies, he forgot about everything else but the power he would have over Modëus and even when I told him that I was with child, he got so furious and hysterical, ordered me never to reveal the truth about the child I was carrying.

Luckily no body bothered to ask because after the many years, I had finally given our tribe a successor. I had demurred the first time, I didn't want Sobêiski to know that his father had left him for his vast desire for power but then I thought that perhaps if they were close to each other, Lucaí would realize his mistake and accept his son

But alas, his rage just escalated and I'm so afraid he'll succeed in ending my son's life and getting what he wants!" She cried again,muffling her sobs into her scarlet Levite shawl.

I was extremely paradoxical right now, Lord Lucaí had actually been inlove once! I don't really think it was that authentic.

We had to find a way to stop him, to put an end to this once and for all.

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