Amelia stared at her image in the mirrors. She has changed so much since she left the group, but the mirror didn't show that much. A bit taller, a bit older, nothing much. She could still easily pass as 16, what really didn't bother her. Amelia learned that she could get away with pretty much anything she wants if she smiled innocently enough... And nobody expected her to have well developed magical abilities. Yes, looking fragile and younger had its advantages.
Her style of dress changed dramatically, tough. Short tops and cargo pants when free, and vast collection of dresses when being official. Nothing frilly or pink, anymore. Blues, greens, yellows... even black. But never beige. She didn't think she cared for beige anymore.
She had a distinct feeling of being watched... She casually turned around... 'Xellos-san, how nice of you to join me.'
In the past 2 years Xellos was the only one of the group who made the effort of visiting regularly... Every few weeks at first... But his visits were becoming more and more frequent, so he was in Saillune almost every other day now. She had a pretty good idea why... Xellos never tried to hide his attraction to her. At first, she was just so happy to see any of her friends or someone who wouldn't treat her as a princess. With the flow of time, he somehow got under her skin. She even laughed at his jokes now. It took her 2 years, but still...
Xellos obviously thought that it was just a matter of time for her to come running into his arms... But Amelia wasn't sure. She was in love only once, it didn't want to relive it... Ever again...
It took her 3 months to stop crying herself to sleep. Another 3 months for that feeling in the bottom of her stomach to wear off, that awful feeling... The constant anxiety... Always felt like something bad just happened...
Then another half a year to stop measuring up to his standards... Every time she looked at herself in the mirror... 'What would Zelgadis-san think if he saw those dark circles under my eyes?' 'No, this dress is no good... What would Zelgadis-san think if he saw me looking like this?'
But now, she felt free. Didn't even think of him that much, really. Just when she would accidentally come across her old pink bracelet, or beige clothes. She really disliked beige now.
So, it wasn't all that probable she would let herself fall in love again, or trust in someone as wholeheartedly as she had Zelgadis.(Especially if the person in question was literally a monster?) She wasn't even sure if she had the right to blame Zelgadis... He never really confessed his love or said anything... Just... The way he sometimes looked at her... She was so sure... Oh... How could she help herself being just a tiny bit bitter about the whole thing? And so hurt... Lina was her friend. If Lina loved him, she could never have him... Ever... Even if he had wanted her. Huh... Nevermind, nevermind, it was over now.
'Amelia? Someone tried to get you into a beige dress again?' Xellos' voice brought her out of her thoughts.
'Ah, Xellos, you know I prefer purple these days....' She said playfully. Maybe flirting with him was wrong; maybe it gave him the wrong impression... But she just couldn't help it. It was fun.
Xellos was probably just about to reply with some kind of sexual innuendo, but a faint knock on the door was heard. So Amelia ordered him to phase out. It was just not proper for a monster to be found in a princess' bedroom.
A couple of maids rushed in and immediately started fussing with her clothes and hair. Tonight was the big ball in honor of her 19'th birthday. 19, already. She didn't look like it. She didn't feel like it... But there it was. 19 and she has never been kissed. So sad. There she was, at the age when her hormones were raging, and looking her best... Full of undefined desires… And she's never been REALLY touched by a man. Not for the lack of opportunities, of course. Or desire. She just couldn't... Not unless it was love. Everything else felt dirty. But she was growing tired of it, really fast… Amelia dreamt of being kissed so forcefully she would have the air knocked out of her lungs, touched so shamefully that she couldn't even dare to think about it, to touch someone herself, to make someone beg for more, gasp from pleasure… 19 and a virgin. 19 and never been kissed.
Maybe she should kiss Xellos? She entertained that thought for a while, now. That would be the best solution. They were already friends, and she was sure Xellos would understand that all she wanted from him was a bit of physical pleasure. He was a mazoku; he probably wasn't even capable of feeling more. But, she was well aware that when the time came, she would freeze. It had to be love, it just had to.
The preparations were over. Hair, make up, the dress, all in place. What the mirror was showing was a beautiful young woman in a blood red dress, like a second skin all the way to her hips, where it flared slightly. There were no plunging necklines on any of her dresses; she was still a bit uncomfortable about her breast size. But the dress did a good job at showing off her curves and shoulders, which she considered more erotic anyways. Not that she was going for erotic, of course... Well… Maybe just a little… After all, she was all grown up now…
Xellos was her companion for the evening. The people of Saillune were used to seeing him accompanying her, and accepted him as one of her traveling companions and close friends. Nobody knew he was a mazoku, tough. That was a well kept secret between Amelia and Xellos… Saillune WAS the capitol of white magic.
Amelia checked her watch. She was 15 minutes late, very fashionable and princess like. It was safe to go now. She made her way through the endless halls of the palace, and finally arrived to the ancient staircase which led directly into the ballroom. Xellos was waiting for her at the top, as always. He was smiling his 'I know something you don't know' smile, like always. He then gave her a long appreciative look, and spoke: 'Amelia... Stunning as always. I'm a very lucky mazoku to be able to be your partner tonight.'
'Shhhh, Xellos, please, no m-word in the palace' She told him as she took his hand. They slowly started going down, step by step. 'Princess Amelia Wil Tesla Saillune and Xellos Metallium!' the announcer yelled at the top of his lounges. All eyes in the room went to the couple, and soon they were drawn into the mass of people already there. Mingling, dancing, exchanging empty and meaningless pleasantries. Xellos was of course, the master of this art. He was very popular around the palace. Even managed to avoid answering questions with 'That's a secret'…. Mostly.
Around 10 o'clock Amelia took her place at the head of the table and readied herself for the endless line of nobles and royalty waiting to give their regards and best wishes. One by one they passed, she couldn't tell them apart by now. With their elegant accents and carefully chosen words and phrases, grrr… Sometimes it seemed that Xellos was the most human person she knew. Tragic, really.
She caught a glimpse of a beige suite somewhere in the line. Beige, she shuddered. The color was not fashionable this season, she thought herself relatively safe from it. When the beige wearing offender came closer, she froze…. The man looked like Zelgadis in almost every way. The hair style, the suit, the brazen look he was just giving her. The way his hand freed his other eye from his hair. Only, the man was entirely human… And not blue in any way. Mybe Zelgadis-san found his cure..?
She would have to wait for him to speak; she would know that deep smooth voice anywhere… Her eyes rose slowly to meet his, and then he spoke.
It was Zelgadis.
Her style of dress changed dramatically, tough. Short tops and cargo pants when free, and vast collection of dresses when being official. Nothing frilly or pink, anymore. Blues, greens, yellows... even black. But never beige. She didn't think she cared for beige anymore.
She had a distinct feeling of being watched... She casually turned around... 'Xellos-san, how nice of you to join me.'
In the past 2 years Xellos was the only one of the group who made the effort of visiting regularly... Every few weeks at first... But his visits were becoming more and more frequent, so he was in Saillune almost every other day now. She had a pretty good idea why... Xellos never tried to hide his attraction to her. At first, she was just so happy to see any of her friends or someone who wouldn't treat her as a princess. With the flow of time, he somehow got under her skin. She even laughed at his jokes now. It took her 2 years, but still...
Xellos obviously thought that it was just a matter of time for her to come running into his arms... But Amelia wasn't sure. She was in love only once, it didn't want to relive it... Ever again...
It took her 3 months to stop crying herself to sleep. Another 3 months for that feeling in the bottom of her stomach to wear off, that awful feeling... The constant anxiety... Always felt like something bad just happened...
Then another half a year to stop measuring up to his standards... Every time she looked at herself in the mirror... 'What would Zelgadis-san think if he saw those dark circles under my eyes?' 'No, this dress is no good... What would Zelgadis-san think if he saw me looking like this?'
But now, she felt free. Didn't even think of him that much, really. Just when she would accidentally come across her old pink bracelet, or beige clothes. She really disliked beige now.
So, it wasn't all that probable she would let herself fall in love again, or trust in someone as wholeheartedly as she had Zelgadis.(Especially if the person in question was literally a monster?) She wasn't even sure if she had the right to blame Zelgadis... He never really confessed his love or said anything... Just... The way he sometimes looked at her... She was so sure... Oh... How could she help herself being just a tiny bit bitter about the whole thing? And so hurt... Lina was her friend. If Lina loved him, she could never have him... Ever... Even if he had wanted her. Huh... Nevermind, nevermind, it was over now.
'Amelia? Someone tried to get you into a beige dress again?' Xellos' voice brought her out of her thoughts.
'Ah, Xellos, you know I prefer purple these days....' She said playfully. Maybe flirting with him was wrong; maybe it gave him the wrong impression... But she just couldn't help it. It was fun.
Xellos was probably just about to reply with some kind of sexual innuendo, but a faint knock on the door was heard. So Amelia ordered him to phase out. It was just not proper for a monster to be found in a princess' bedroom.
A couple of maids rushed in and immediately started fussing with her clothes and hair. Tonight was the big ball in honor of her 19'th birthday. 19, already. She didn't look like it. She didn't feel like it... But there it was. 19 and she has never been kissed. So sad. There she was, at the age when her hormones were raging, and looking her best... Full of undefined desires… And she's never been REALLY touched by a man. Not for the lack of opportunities, of course. Or desire. She just couldn't... Not unless it was love. Everything else felt dirty. But she was growing tired of it, really fast… Amelia dreamt of being kissed so forcefully she would have the air knocked out of her lungs, touched so shamefully that she couldn't even dare to think about it, to touch someone herself, to make someone beg for more, gasp from pleasure… 19 and a virgin. 19 and never been kissed.
Maybe she should kiss Xellos? She entertained that thought for a while, now. That would be the best solution. They were already friends, and she was sure Xellos would understand that all she wanted from him was a bit of physical pleasure. He was a mazoku; he probably wasn't even capable of feeling more. But, she was well aware that when the time came, she would freeze. It had to be love, it just had to.
The preparations were over. Hair, make up, the dress, all in place. What the mirror was showing was a beautiful young woman in a blood red dress, like a second skin all the way to her hips, where it flared slightly. There were no plunging necklines on any of her dresses; she was still a bit uncomfortable about her breast size. But the dress did a good job at showing off her curves and shoulders, which she considered more erotic anyways. Not that she was going for erotic, of course... Well… Maybe just a little… After all, she was all grown up now…
Xellos was her companion for the evening. The people of Saillune were used to seeing him accompanying her, and accepted him as one of her traveling companions and close friends. Nobody knew he was a mazoku, tough. That was a well kept secret between Amelia and Xellos… Saillune WAS the capitol of white magic.
Amelia checked her watch. She was 15 minutes late, very fashionable and princess like. It was safe to go now. She made her way through the endless halls of the palace, and finally arrived to the ancient staircase which led directly into the ballroom. Xellos was waiting for her at the top, as always. He was smiling his 'I know something you don't know' smile, like always. He then gave her a long appreciative look, and spoke: 'Amelia... Stunning as always. I'm a very lucky mazoku to be able to be your partner tonight.'
'Shhhh, Xellos, please, no m-word in the palace' She told him as she took his hand. They slowly started going down, step by step. 'Princess Amelia Wil Tesla Saillune and Xellos Metallium!' the announcer yelled at the top of his lounges. All eyes in the room went to the couple, and soon they were drawn into the mass of people already there. Mingling, dancing, exchanging empty and meaningless pleasantries. Xellos was of course, the master of this art. He was very popular around the palace. Even managed to avoid answering questions with 'That's a secret'…. Mostly.
Around 10 o'clock Amelia took her place at the head of the table and readied herself for the endless line of nobles and royalty waiting to give their regards and best wishes. One by one they passed, she couldn't tell them apart by now. With their elegant accents and carefully chosen words and phrases, grrr… Sometimes it seemed that Xellos was the most human person she knew. Tragic, really.
She caught a glimpse of a beige suite somewhere in the line. Beige, she shuddered. The color was not fashionable this season, she thought herself relatively safe from it. When the beige wearing offender came closer, she froze…. The man looked like Zelgadis in almost every way. The hair style, the suit, the brazen look he was just giving her. The way his hand freed his other eye from his hair. Only, the man was entirely human… And not blue in any way. Mybe Zelgadis-san found his cure..?
She would have to wait for him to speak; she would know that deep smooth voice anywhere… Her eyes rose slowly to meet his, and then he spoke.
It was Zelgadis.