Aina stood in front of a wall of dresses. She had to pick carefully. She sighed, she wished Zero was there to help her but he had left a couple of hours before to avoid any chance of slipping up again.
"Lady Hirano." She turned to see a small team of maids.
"Yes?" She asked curiously, she normally only had one maid if she needed it. Zero would always help her dress.
"Her majesty Queen Juri has sent us ahead to help you dress." The maid stood nearest to her.
"I only need one maid." Aina told them.
"Her majesty Queen Juri would like to make sure you receive the correct treatment of a new royal."
"Please tell her majesty Queen Juri that I appreciate the gesture however, I prefer my own maid." Aina worded carefully.
"Lady Hirano, the Queen worries you will not be able to pick out a suitable dress for the occasion." The maid added.
"Get out." Aina said, turning her back to them.
"We have been order by her..."
"Rido!" Aina interrupted them. "Rido her here now!"
Within a few moments, Rido appeared, pushing past the maids.
"Is there a problem, my love?" He asked confused.
"Your sister sent them and they won't leave because I am apparently incapable of picking out a suitable dress for the occasion." Aina told him.
"Lord Rido, her maj..."
"If Aina wants you gone, you go. If my sister has a problem, she can come to me." Rido told them. "I want Aina's normal maid here now." He then added.
The maids huffed and walked away. Rido put her arm about her and kissed her forehead.
"Thank you." Aina smiled and leaned against him.
"No problem. Do you want me to stick around?" He asked her and she shook her head.
"No, I'll be fine." She told him as her usual maid walled in.
"Alright then, I'll see you in a bit." He kissed her forehead again before walking out of the room.
Aina finally settled on silver dress covered in shimmering gems and pearls. The neckline was decorated with floral lace, adding a little more coverage of her cleavage as the neckline dipped quite low. The corset had a V-line front, making her seem thinner, pearls and gems were lined in rows, emphasising the thinner look. The skirt puffed out with three visible layers. Each layer had more gems and pearls than the last. She also had a silver train attached at the bottom of her corset. The sleeves were mainly lace and stopped just under her elbow with a flare. Her hair had been pinned into a half up, half down style which showed off her natural loose curls. Two long very curls were pulled to the front, while the rest were left going down her back. In her hair was a large sliver floral hairpiece, the visible pins were decorated with pearls. Her large earrings and diamond chocker matched her hairpieces design.
She sighed to herself as she looked in the mirror. She used to like dressing up but now it felt forced. Now she had to wear the finest dresses and jewels. This often meant being uncomfortable inside tighter corsets and bigger skirts. She knew her scalp would be hurting after tonight with how tight it had to be pinned to keep it all in place. She was just glad her shoes were still comfortable for her.
A knock at the door brought Aina out of her trance. She turned to see Rido in the doorway. "I don't know what Juri was worried about." He said with a smile and Aina blushed. He walked towards her and took her hand. "Ready?" He then asked.
"As ready as I ever will be." She answered honestly and took a deep breath.
Rido lead her to the ballroom, there arms looped together. "Who's here?" She asked before they could enter.
"Your mother and father, my siblings and the brats." He told her. "The rest are the usual purebloods and aristocrats."
"I think I can handle that." She joked, making Rido chuckle lightly.
With that, they walked into the ballroom, ready to face their families.
Aina's parents were the first to walk up to them, saying how proud they were of their daughter finally finding a worthy suiter. Aina smiled politely at them, hiding her anger towards their interference. She was just glad that it was Rido who they approached, he became someone she could trust.
Not long after, the King and Queen approached them, both Rido and she were forced to curtsy.
"Aina, it has been so long since we last saw you." Juri said with a smile.
"Indeed, a very long time."
"It feels like yesterday that you three were all children." She then reminisce.
"I never thought you and Rido would have found love."
"Thanks, Haruka." Rido grumbled in response.
"I didn't mean anything by it." Haruka answered back. "I meant you knew Aina as a child, she used to call you uncle." He then added, annoying Rido further.
"Rido, sweetheart, you know I don't see you like that anymore." She reassured him.
"I think you two will do very well together." Juri then spoke up. "Now, we better let you get back to greeting your guests. We can all catch up later." She then added, taking her husbands' arm and walking away.
"I don't think the approve." Rido stated simply.
"Will that be an issue for you?" Aina asked, it had never stopped Rido before.
"No. I suppose I can have some fun with them over this." He answered with a smile and she shook her head.
"Don't be so mean." She said with a smile, she wouldn't stop him.
Aina soon spotted Yuki who had seemed to take on her advice about wearing a dress with a corset. She wasn't sure if it was because she was attending with her parents or if she really had listened to her. Rido whispered in her ear about something, but she wasn't paying much attention, as he walked away.
As soon as Rido was away from her, Yuki approached her.
"Aina, I want to apologise for my behaviour." Yuki said, surprising Aina.
"Don't apologise, it's a sign of weakness" Aina reminded her. "Royalty never apologise." She added to make a point.
"You were always much wiser than me." Yuki then said and Aina held her tongue, not to say anything mean.
"Thank you, your royal highness, Princess Yuki." Aina bowed slightly.
"You don't have to do that Aina, we're friends." Yuki told her with a sad sigh.
"You misunderstand, I have to do this in public, friend or not. Family to be or not." Aina answered back, looking out for Rido to try save herself.
"Aina, do you think we could be friends again? You gave me so really good advice and I reacted badly. I should have thanked you instead." It almost sounded like Yuki was begging her.
"What about the many friends you were with before?" Aina asked curiously.
"You were right about those people, they were only nice to me due to my title, my power. Once I cut off those people, I found myself with so few friends I could trust. I hope we can rekindle the friendship we once had." Yuki admitted, sounding a little nervous.
"I don't think so." She answered. "Please enjoy yourself." She then added with a bow and walked away. She could feel Yuki's eyes on her but she dared not look back. She had to find Rido before she could get herself in anymore trouble.
"Are you alright?" Rido spoke up behind her, making her jump.
"Where did you go?" Aina asked annoyed.
"I had to deal with a small argument." Rido told her. "I guess you didn't hear me."
"I'm sorry." Aina quickly apologised. "I was distracted. Anyway, who was arguing?"
"Your parents." Aina looked confused.
"Over what now?" Rido shrugged.
"Something about status and money. I had to ask them to stop or leave." He told her.
"Father has properly suggested wasting money on something. He has never been good with money." Aina told him, it wasn't anything new to her. "It will be a common issue."
"Any debts I need to know about?" He then asked concerned and Aina shrugged.
"They're properly in debt up to their eyeballs. But do not give them any money." She told her sternly. "You will never see it again and they just keep asking." She added.
"That must be why they wanted to realign. The closer you are to power, the more money you can lend." Rido stated and Aina nodded. "What did Yuki want?" He then asked, Aina may have lost sight of him, but he had kept an eye on her.
"Friendship and to apologise for that day I locked her out of your house." She answered.
"Our house now." He corrected her and Aina smiled slightly. "What did you tell her?"
"I won't be her friend. Not after her behaviour and what she did. She practically set Kaname on you." She told him and Rido smiled, wrapping his arm around her waist.
"That's my girl." He told her.
Once again, they were separated, this time by Aina needing to loosen her corset. By the time she got back, Rido had disappeared.
"Lady Hirano." Aina tensed, it was Kaname.
"Your royal..."
"Call me Kaname, don't bother with that long title." He interrupted her.
"But protocol..."
"It's an order." He then told her and she sighed.
"What can I do for you Kaname?" She asked with a forced smile.
"Yuki told me you were still upset by what had happened, is there anything I can do to help you two become friends once more?" He asked innocently.
"No. Yuki and myself are two very different people now." Aina answered.
"Well, that is a shame. I do hope we can still be friends."
"I'm afraid that that would not be appropriate." She told him and turned slightly to look for Rido.
"We will be family soon enough." He told her.
"I do not wish to see as being too friendly." She admitted.
"Are you worried that I am being too friendly?" He asked her and she nodded. "Well, you are very beautiful Aina..."
"You have Yuki." She interrupted him.
"I can change that." Kaname told her as he stepped closer to her. Aina moved back from him. "Don't you think that it would be better to marry a prince than a man fourth in line."
"I have no interest in moving up the ranks if that is what you are suggesting." She huffed at him, getting offended. "I am in love with Rido."
"Of course, you are." Kaname said, sounding somewhat suspicious.
"I must get back to Rido." She told him as soon as she spotted Rido in the crowd and walked away before Kaname could say anymore.
Rido refused to move from her said again after she told him what Kaname had said to her.
As the night wound down, they were only left with the royal family. Aina had to usher her parents out after another argument which threatened to cause a scene.
"Lady Hirano, I do hope to get to know you better as a woman." Juri said with a smile.
"As do I." Aina said, smiling back. She couldn't help but feel everything was all forced. The only one who seemed genuinely happy that Rido and she had started a relationship was Haruka. With that, they all left and Aina sat down with a large sigh.
"Are you alright?" Rido asked as he stood in front of her.
"I forgot how much hard work you all were." She teased him, making him chuckle. "I think it's time for some sleep." She then said standing back up. Rido wrapped his arm around her waist and led her to her room. They could get away with having separate rooms for now, after all, they weren't married yet. They stopped at her door and he placed his hand on her cheek, leaning forwards.
"Kaname is still around." He whispered in her ear before kissing her, holding her to him. Aina went along with him. She too could still sense Kaname's presence. She wrapped her arms around his neck.
"What do we do?" She asked with a whisper as they pulled apart.
"Get ready for bed, I will deal with him." He told her in a whisper and kissed her once more before letting her go. Aina smiled and slowly retreated into her room, blushing.
Once the door was closed, Rido walked away, he was out to find Kaname. He did have to search very far. "I thought you had left with the others." Rido said annoyed and Kaname smirked at him.
"And miss a show?" Kaname asked, hinting at the kiss Aina and Rido had shared. "I'm surprised you haven't ploughed her yet." He added rather crudely.
"Aina wishes to wait, I respect that." Rido lied.
"When have you ever wanted to wait? What are you hiding?" Kaname asked suspicious. "This relationship between the two of you feels fake." He then added.
"Maybe that's because you don't know what love is." Rido snapped back at him. Kaname glared at him.
"I will work out what is going on." He warned before leaving. Rido sighed and went to his own bed. He wished I could do more than kiss her. He often thought about possessing Zero to spend more time with her. But Zero would know, as soon as Rido would leave his body, he would tell Aina, if not try to kill him. He had to settle on making the most of the time he had with her. He would sometimes watch them from afar, imaging it was him kissing and holding her. He had heard her moans from time to time, he wished she was moaning because of him. He thought he could keep his jealously at bay and let her be happy. However, after tonight, he just wanted her for himself. He had to tread carefully and slowly drive a wedge between the couple. He didn't think it would be too hard to do but he had to be careful about it. He had noticed the two had started to bicker more about the little things. Zero would often start on about the situation and Aina would snap at him, telling him to be grateful that Rido hadn't outed them. Rido lay in bed and thought more about what he could do.