...uhm... what to say?

Chapter 2 – The Ball

"We're finally there!" She cried out excitedly, flinging the wooden door open. She found herself standing in front of thousands of royalties in the grand hall. Noticing their sudden silence, she smiled nervously and stepped into the room. Glancing around, she spotted a beautiful blonde surrounded by some well-dressed men that she guessed to be the Queen and her brothers. They were looking her way, but strangely enough, the attention was focused on the little kid whose hand she was holding.

Before she could react, the Queen said with clear surprise in her voice. "Clef? Where have you been? We were looking for you." She stared at their hands. "What… were you doing?"

'So this boy is also a member of the royal family?' She glanced down at the child as he jerked his hand away from hers, a tiny sign of red passing through his face. He hurriedly made his way toward the queen through a crowd of curious princesses who were watching the scene.

"I'm sorry for my absence, my Queen; this lady was lost in the garden and I had to assist her in finding her way back." He bowed down.

"Assist, huh?" One of the men standing beside Queen Emeraude grinned. He had green hair and the friendliest appearance of the group. "And here I was, believing that you had purposely snuck out of the party like usual."

"…"

"Though, I too think the company of this beautiful lady would be much more enjoying than this boring ball itself." He winked, making her even more confused. This child must be very close to the man whom she believed to be a prince.

"That's enough Ferio; and Clef, you can stand up now." Emeraude broke the tense air with her sweet and gentle voice. She then turned to Umi. "I believe that you missed everyone's entrance. May I ask who you are?"

"I… I am Umi Ryuuzaki, third princess of Chizeta Clan." She blushed, embarrassed of her earlier actions.

"Princess of Chizeta, I welcome you to Cephiro." The Queen smiled. "Thank you for bringing back our Master Mage, though it was a rare chance to find him at a party like this."

"It was noth—" Then she gasped. "Do you mean to say that this little kid here is the great Master Mage of Cephiro?"

"It may sound unbelievable, but yes. Clef?"

"It is right, my Queen." The short Mage was standing and glaring at her, but now it was not only Umi that stared at him, but a bunch of shocked princesses. Whispers like "That's weird!", "So that's the rumored Mage…" , "You gotta be kidding!" and "No way." could be heard throughout the grand hall.

"Everyone, let us continue with the festivities." Queen Emeraude exclaimed.

"This makes the 146th princess I've danced with this evening. Oh hell." Ferio groaned mentally while entering the stage, this time it was a Fahrenian princess in his arms. The second prince of Cephiro was currently half tired, half pissed off at the fact that his two brothers had disappeared at the beginning of the ball, leaving him to deal with a thousand princesses alone. One after the other, they tried every way to get near him, dancing and flirting at the same time, which gave him no chance to escape. Thanks to that, he even danced with an old lady who he found difficult to call a princess because of her age which tripled his own. Or a little girl who only reached his waist (but was already too haughty for his liking; the second princess of Fahren…). Nearly all of his teenage strength was drawn out.

"Ah!" The princess in his arms suddenly tripped, and Ferio was forced to snap out of his thoughts to catch her in time. She blushed furiously and mumbled a quick sorry. That wasn't her first time tripping, and it was clear that she wasn't a very good dancer. Ferio chuckled, finding her clumsiness to be rather adorable. At least it wasn't just an excuse to get close to him or a mannered act. Unlike other princesses, this one didn't even try to get near him and he just happened to pick her up randomly in a corner while being chased by a large crowd. Since they started dancing, she didn't flirt with him once and kept quiet the whole time instead. He felt grateful for that, it was like a heavenly break for him tonight. Further more, compared to the others, this girl was pretty. Her brown hair was curly and short, which he found very rare for a noble lady. Her eyes were an emerald color and she did not have the irresistible charm and overwhelming beauty like the blue-haired princess he saw earlier in the ball, but her angelic face gave the impression of sincerity and gentleness.

At the thought of the strange girl, Ferio let out a disappointed sigh. He had been scanning the room since the ball started to find her, but couldn't seem to find that remarkable blue hair anywhere. He guessed that she was avoiding them because of the embarrassing situation earlier. It was a pity, because not only was he fascinated by her features, but Ferio was also interested in the fact that she was the only girl that had ever given him the chance to see the Master Mage's red face, which he found more miraculous than magic itself.

Stopping once more to help the princess regain her balance, Ferio decided that she would only cause more damage to herself if they continued dancing and it was also the only chance for him to leave the party in a proper way. So, he politely said, "Princess Fuu Hououji, would you like to take a break and enjoy the fresh air for a while? I could show you our royal garden."

"It would be nice, your highness." Princess Fuu smiled brightly and seemed relieved. Perhaps she too wanted to get out of this torture party. He then offered her a hand and they walked out.

Watching the scene, Queen Emeraude smiled with satisfaction.

"Hey." Umi called.

"…"

"Would you please stop for a moment?" She said hesitantly.

"No." The tiny Mage snapped, not slowing his pace. Due to the fact that she just gave him a rather embarrassing entrance in front of the entire group of royalties and visitors, this blue-haired princess was the last person he wanted to see or let alone stop for. "Princess, since you now know that I am the Master Mage of Cephiro, and not a little kid, please do me a favor and go away."

"But I only—" Umi blinked. It was not difficult for her to catch up with Clef due to his small form. She had followed him when he took advantage of Queen Emeraude's inattention and sneaked out of the party again.

"Your purpose is following the princes, not me. Get lost." Clef said coldly.

"Wait, I only want to say— Please hear me…" The thought of her fault kept Umi trying. Of course, getting the prince's attention was important to her, but considering the large amount of princesses in the hall she hardly could do that now. Further more, she wanted to settle things with the Mage first. A possible future Queen of Cephiro couldn't have any contradiction with the great Master Mage.

"Hmn."

Umi didn't give up.

"You see," She pleaded, trying to hold down her rising annoyance as much as possible. She wasn't a calm type and this man was really beginning to get on her nerves. But Umi couldn't let that stop her on her way to the throne. "I know it was my fault back there, so I want to apologize to you. I didn't know it was you. I didn't mean it. Please forgive me." She finished in a breath.

"Is that all?"

"Huh? Yes…" She replied, confused.

"Well, I forgive you. Satisfied?" Clef didn't turn back to face Umi, but kept pacing in the hallway. His voice had an uncaring tone. "Now, leave me alone."

That was it.

If he had known her better, he would most likely have reconsidered those words. No man had ever dared to treat the princess of Chizeta like that.

She had reached her limit.

Umi stopped, her beautiful face puckered, her lips tightened, and her eyes were sending daggers to Clef's back. She clenched her fists and mumbled to herself, "What a bastard."

"Excuse me?" Clef turned back, surprised.

"I said you're a real bastard!" She shouted, long gone was the patience and effort to keep her noble manner; it was wasted on him. There she was, sincerely apologizing for an unintentional fault that she didn't even mean, only to receive such rude treatment! Whatever he was, her pride as a princess never allowed anyone to talk to her like that and walk away without paying some price.

"Well, back to true form aren't we." Clef rolled his eyes. "I'm afraid that you're being a bit too rough for your position, princess."

"And I must say your childish appearance fits your attitude perfectly, little boy. To think how rude you are to not accept a lady's honest apology." Umi shot back, placing her hands on her hips.

"I already DID said that I forgave you. What more do you want?" Clef's eyes twitched dangerously. "And don't ever call me a little boy again."

"Then at least some sincerity into your words, Mr. Oh-So High-and-Mighty." Umi snorted. "Anyway, I don't care anymore if you hate me now."

"You're such pathetic creature of a princess." Clef eyes her. "I would be surprised if you made it to the throne with your horrible behavior."

"Are you challenging me? To your information, I am ONLY polite with someone that deserves it." Umi said. "And I will definitely get what I want. Want to make a bet?"

"So certain of yourself? Let me tell you first, that our princes are not the type to be lured by mere beauties."

"The Winner can have one request." She smirked. "I have more than a face, I assure you."

"I highly doubt that."

"So it's settled then?"

"Whatever." Clef turned and began to walk away. With a quick flip he disappeared in a purple light of magic, leaving Umi astounded.

"Damn you, arrogant brat! How dare you leave a lady in strange place like this? And I don't even know the way!" The blue-haired princess shouted into the dark night.

"Woah, fresh air is surely the best!" Ferio said happily, enjoying the cold wind of the night. "It's so nice to be outside again, don't you think?" He turned back, but what he saw made him frown.

Leaning against a white statue, the brown-haired princess winced as if she was in pain. Her hands were clutching her gown tightly, and her breath was heavy. Looking up to find the prince staring at her, she smiled weakly. Then she attempted to take a few steps but tripped as she did so.

Ferio flew immediately to her side, concern filled his voice. "Are you all right, princess?"

"Yes… I think so, your majesty." Fuu tried to hide her pain but failed miserably. She couldn't even stand properly.

"Let's go there." The green-haired prince lead her to a nearby fountain and helped her to sit down. Ignoring her weak protests, he lifted one of the princess's feet up and carefully removed her shoes. His eyes widened at the sign of her swollen flesh. She whimpered in pain again.

"Why didn't you tell me? You shouldn't dance in this state. Were you enduring this the whole time?" His voice was a mix of confusion and worry.

"Sorry… It's just that I am not used to wearing those high heels, and dancing with you was a great honor and I couldn't…" She lowered her voice. "I'm sorry for bothering you with this."

Ferio couldn't believe this girl hid her pain just to dance with him! Why did she work so hard to keep it a secret? He thought that her intention was throne but now, seeing her in such a miserable state, Ferio couldn't help but feel pity. She hadn't tried anything to impress him so he doubted this was one of her tricks. He picked her up in his arms and began to walk, "Sorry for my rudeness princess, but I must carry you to your chamber to rest."

"You don't have to…" The princess exclaimed. Her face reddened but she couldn't do anything to protest.

"It is my responsibility." He said determinedly.

"Bastard! Jerk! Stupid, arrogant brat!" Umi mumbled angrily while pacing in the hallway. It had been a while since her encounter with the Master Mage and she still couldn't find her way back. The blue-haired princess began to feel anxious and tired. She took a few random turns when she suddenly heard a girl's voice. Feeling relieved, Umi followed it to a beautiful lake. It was surrounded by many trees with statues and water sparkling gently in the moonlight. She stepped closer to a large tree near the lake and spotted two people. One of them, who was laying under the tree, was the eldest prince of Cephiro, Prince Lantis, with his usual black suit and bored expression on his face. The other one was a princess with flaming red hair and a pink gown, but she was so short that Umi wondered if she was a child. She was holding something in her hands.

"Uhm… excuse me… " The girl started timidly, "I wonder if—"

"Go away." The prince said coldly, not even bothering to open his eyes.

"But—"

"I will not dance with you. I will not sleep with you. And no, I will not marry you. So leave me alone." His tone was even.

"You're mistaken." She blinked. "I—I just want to give you—"

"You have nothing I'm interested in. It's no use."

"But it is yo—"

"Have you all princesses no manner at all? All you want is our title and power and you'll do anything to get it. How pathetic."

The anger in Umi was rising again. She couldn't believe that this country's men were all jerks. First the Master Mage, and now the First Prince. Both were so rude, cold-hearted and arrogant that they couldn't even listen to a complete phrase from someone before they judged them. She couldn't take it anymore. Umi walked toward the prince and the red-haired princess.

"Hey, your damn Highness." She called, standing beside the other girl. The red-haired princess gasped and Lantis's eyes merely opened, slightly surprised at such rude words. He looked at Umi and sighed. "Another one? Why can't you people leave me alone?"

"Well excuse me, I have some advice for you.'" She growled. "Don't think so damn high of yourself."

The dark-haired prince rolled his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean, it is not because you men are good looking, rich or powerful that all the women in this want to be courted by you. Indeed we are here because we want to marry the princes, but it's not like we're all begging for your precious love!" Umi shouted, letting out all her anger.

Lantis blinked. This princess was definitely different from the others. After a moment of shock, he asked amusedly "So?"

"You have to treat women nicely and listen to them at least once, like a gentleman would do." She said.

"But all they do is flirt with men. I find it boring." He shook his head.

"It's not like that, sir. I just wanted to return your dagger that you dropped." The red-haired princess suddenly said, handing him a golden dagger.

Reluctantly, Lantis took the dagger and examined it. It was indeed his favorite one. That meant he had been unreasonably harsh toward this girl, but his pride wouldn't let him show his shame. However, Umi wasn't going to stand for that.

"See? She had good intention and you just shoved her aside. That's really bad." She pointed out.

"Hmn." He couldn't protest anymore.

"I demand you apologize to her."

The red-haired princess looked embarrassed. "No, no! It's alright… You don't have to –" But Umi cut her off. "It is what a well raised noble should do. Well?"

"Okay." Lantis said, nearly smiling. He knew he should apologize, but he felt a bit embarrassed about it. "I'm sorry for my rudeness, milady." And he kissed the red-haired princess's hand. "Thank you for your kind help."

"No… err… You're welcome!" The princess blushed deeply and stepped back.

"How's that?" Lantis glanced at the blue-haired girl.

"Good." Umi breathed out. At least this guy seemed more reasonable that that purple-haired bastard of a Mage.

"Now, it seems that we have no more reason to interrupt your precious private time." Umi smiled, feeling more at ease now. She turned to the still blushing princess. "Could you walk me to the grand hall? I can't find the way."

"Su-sure." The girl nodded and they began to walk away when Lantis suddenly asked from behind. "Wait, what's your name?"

"Umi Ryuuzaki of Chizeta." With that, the two princesses disappeared in the hallway, leaving the dark-haired prince alone.

'Umi… what an interesting princess'.

eternal usako, bloodydazer, dewprism56: Thank for your lovely reviews, I will try harder in the later chapters, but no one is perfect, and English just isn't my forte. So, please bear with me :( I'd appreciate it.

Please keep R&R!