Tsukito glanced at his brother before focusing on his Queen. As always when situations such as these arose, Takeru was having trouble hiding his nervousness. He had never been very good around people, much like himself, as his passionate nature and his failure to hide not only his true emotions, but his real thoughts made many of the courtiers feel awkward around him. They also had a tendency to laugh at him behind his back, which did nothing when it came to building his social skills.
So being thrown headfirst into a grand ball where he was made to stand next to the centre of attention wasn't exactly an ideal scenario for him, but even Takeru agreed that at twenty-three, it was time to get rid of his fears.
But even without his personality holding him, he still had a right to worry. Though he wasn't the crown prince of the East, his fierce protectiveness when it came to Yui was well known, as well as his deep love for her and his desire to see her happy. From a young age his brother would always be found by her side, practising with the Eastern army and learning to protect her whenever he wasn't.
Tsukito was much the same, though he found it much easier to conceal his feelings for the Queen as the only time they came into contact was either in their private lessons or functions such as these. When they were alone together it was easier for him to be himself, and when they attended to royal events Tsukito found that focusing on anyone but her let him pretend he was nothing more than her guard,
His intellect could hardly be expected to protect her, but as the crown prince he was required to travel with her despite his dislike of the other royal families. It wasn't that he hated them especially, just that a considerable number of them were so boorish and brash that it was unpleasant to spend more than an hour in their company.
Yet, if Yui enjoyed herself enough, this night would last until the sun began to rise, and Tsukito wasn't sure he could handle such a thing. But with specific instructions to note who she talked to and for how long, he would have no choice but to stay.
His eyes swept around the room as they entered through the double doors, the fanfares almost deafening him. The first time he had attended a Southern ball he had been shocked at their colourful clothing, their bare navels and wild dances. He began to grow used to such things, but it was still a surprise to see how their fashion changed, becoming more and more daring as the years went on.
A scattering of applause echoed around the ballroom, swelling into cheers and cries of "Long live the Queen." as Yui gracefully made her way down the red carpet that lead to a row of thrones that seemed miles away. He could just make out three figures sat upon, and surmised that two Southern princes were 'mingling', as they were known to do.
Yui held her smile, waving and nodding to various members of the courts who called her name. One of the many things Tsukito loved about her was the fact that her smiles were genuine, and that the laughter in her eyes as she watched the white petals rain down from the ceiling. She was so bright, so happy and so warm that anyone who met her loved her almost instatnly. It was one of the many gifts the gods had blessed her with, and Tsukito was proud to be at her sides in times such as these.
"My Queen." Zeus bowed his head as she stood at the steps that lead up to the throne, remaining seated as he looked down upon her. Silence blanketed the room as the courtiers watched the exchange, wondering how the Queen would react to this obvious display of power.
To call her a Queen was a slight understatement, as the four corners of the nation still held to the royal tradition of one King to each quarter of the land, but due her birth and nature the alliances formed through her resulted in her joining the four kingdoms together and being named Empress. She greatly disliked this title , however, and felt she would be more suited to one such as 'Princess' due to her young age. The Kings disagreed.
After much arguing in which fights once again broke out between the four Kings, she settled for the the title of Queen, though many courtiers insisted on calling her the Empress behind closed doors.
"Zeus, Hera, Hades." She smiled warmly. "How good it is to see you all again."
Tsukito's face remained blank as he watched Zeus's jaw tighten and Hera's grin widen. He could only hope that the rest of the night would go as well as this.
