Page 241 of A King's Oath

“I’m good,” Ava tried to get out of it.

“Please, Mama! See? Mine looks so pretty, doesn’t it?” She twirled, holding the tiara up with one hand. Ava couldn't keep a straight face.

“Come on, Raje,” he pleaded, tiara held close to her temple. She stilled. Her big eyes blinked at him. And he went on to slide the tiara into her temple, waiting for her to resist. She did not.

“So pretty!!” Brahmi clapped her hands together.

“Isn’t she?” He agreed, standing back and admiring Ava.

“I love this surprise!” She held the tiara with both hands now. “Can I keep it?”

“Brahmi.” Her mother warned.

“Of course you can. It is yours.” Samarth cut her off. Then low in Ava’s ear he added — “It’s real, make sure to store it safely when you get home. Both of them.”

She rolled her eyes. “Why did you get a real tiara…?”

“Because I want her to always remember this night. Because I want you to always look at it and remember what it means.”

Her gaze set in his and a long moment elapsed between them. Then the string quartet struck a soft chord. Samarth turned.

“Come now, the first dance is about to begin,” he took both of them by their hands and escorted them delicately to the table for three laid with flutes of sparkling water with raspberries. He saw from the corner of his eyes how Ava smiled.

“Mademoiselle,” he seated Ava and bowed to her. “The first dance is a Father-Daughter dance. May I borrow Brahmi?”

“If she would like to go,” Ava sat back, looking at their daughter.

“I would, I would,” she held her hand out even before he had opened his. Samarth laughed, taking it gently into his and leading her away.

“You know, my father is in South America with the horses?”

“Hmm?” His voice went hoarse as he stopped in the centre of the ballroom and stood in front of her. The quartet crescendo trailed to a stop, signalling the beginning of the song.

“Can I have the honour of this dance that is meant for your father?” He asked.

“He is not here, so yes.”

He bowed and she did something that resembled a curtsy but was so cute that he would take it over a curtsy any day.

“Come here,” he pulled her up on his shoes and held her in his arms. “You go three steps to the side,” he tapped to the beats to demonstrate “Then three steps back,” he went back, making her giggle. “Three steps to the side, then three to the back,” he continued, circling them in the centre.

“I know I know!” She jumped down from his shoes and he nodded — “Ready?”

“Ready!”

Samarth took her gently and stepped to the side. She went with him, a natural. Then he went back and she fumbled, laughing just as graciously in her misstep. She could laugh at herself again and again after goofing up and he had a feeling that she would preserve that spirit all her life — the classic quality needed to be a royal. The quality he had slowly and steadily imbibed from his own father.

“Slow, Sam!” She laughed as he went with the beats. Whenever she fumbled, he would just twirl her and smoothen the misstep over. They went round and round, he took her in his arms and swirled her around, her giggles loud and musical. His heart was beating to it now, not the quartet.

When the song ended, he dipped her low, kissed her forehead, and escorted her back to her seat, setting her down like a tiny, precious jewel. He picked a flute of sparkling water and handed it to her. She took a sip, then made a face as tingles burst on her tongue.

“It was a pleasure, mademoiselle.” Samarth bowed his head to her.

“Monsieur,” she bowed back, such a natural now. He reached down and kissed the top of her head. Then turned to the woman whose face was again a still sea.

He held his hand out. “Avantika Kumari Raje of Gwalior," he asked, only loud enough for her ears. “Will you do me the honour of dancing with me?”

She glanced from his eyes to his hand. He knew she would decline. Still he kept his hand out, ready for the sting of that rejection, craving it even. It was his duty to keep coming to her doorstep, and an honour to even be worthy of her rejection. He would keep doing it again and again.

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