Luna sat down. She was able to control her trembling, barely.
This was bad.
Very, very bad.
She had no idea how to react to him, or even how to speak to him.
She didn't know why he was here, she didn't know who had sent him, and she didn't know how much he respected the Emperor. All she knew was that he was bad news, whatever he wanted.
Although her father might disagree, they had a balance here in the Alaxian royal palace. It worked, though perhaps not as well as it could. But what could be wasn't what Luna was concerned with. Her job was to make sure that they thrived.
So, despite her anxiety, Luna had to force herself to be still and silent. Her primary role at these balls was to be seen and not heard, so she didn't have to exercise her superior voice quite as much for this.
What she had to exercise it for was the speeches and court cases. Although her father made the decisions, she was often asked to speak, either by him to announce his will, or by others to try to change his mind.
Luna bit the inside of her lip. It was a habit she had developed to get herself out of her own head and to focus on the present, and it was nice because, unlike touching her necklace, which she had used to do when she was younger, she could do it without it being visible to those around her, though if they were perceptive enough they might catch it.
Luna looked over at the young man, because her father was currently addressing him, and she found his face turned towards her.
Had he seen it? He must have, right? What other reason was there for him to be looking at her? Had he been watching her this whole time, or was it just now that he had glanced at her and happened to detect it?
Or, worse, was he observant enough to tell without even specifically looking at her?
Luna smiled at him as though she had just noticed him looking at her, revealing nothing of her churning emotions. Even if she hated suitors, she was always gracious. After all, perfection had to be.
But this man.
He was unsettling, to say the least. As the dance went on, he remained seated but didn't eat, which was something that none of the nobles around here did. He never removed his mask, and Luna found herself hating it more and more as time went on. She didn't want to see his face, that couldn't be it.
No, Luna refused to admit it.
It must be the disrespect he showed. Although he was almost undoubtedly related to the Emperor, and he had no reason to respect her, she still found herself unsettled by his lack of consideration. He didn't care about anyone around him, she could tell.
And strangely, that pulled at a gaping hole in her heart. Perhaps it was because she felt that he had the same thing, or perhaps it was because she realized that he didn't care about her feelings.
Whatever it was, it brought up dark memories, and made possibilities whirl in her head. Futures that could be, but never would.
She didn't have any friends, and it would be foolish to assume that she ever would.
And yet. No one could be her friend, least of all him.
So why did she feels like this? Her only experience with friendship was the textbook definition, someone who makes you feel safe. Was that what this was?
Luna didn't know. She didn't know anything about him. So she had to make a decision.
By the time that the afternoon meal came around, she had resolved to believe he was evil. No one could care so little, it wasn't possible. Even most nobles she disliked cared for others, or at least their opinions.
At this point, she had danced for hours, and she was returning to the high table to eat.
It was a novel experience to not be swarmed by lower nobles searching for higher connections. His presence seemed to push them away. Perhaps that was one good thing about him.
It could be intimidation, but she convinced herself that it was because he was evil. After all, who could exude such an aura to terrify an entire room without even moving? It was the stuff of legends.
Legends like the Emperor.
A legend that had suddenly become a large figure in Luna's life.