Page 13 of Cursed By Gold

Most are people I immediately recognize. Their masks and costumes match their personalities perfectly. Rarely do I throw any events like this. While my court whispers about my greed and harsh behavior, I keep my mouth shut. It isn't anything like that. Honestly, I am afraid of accidentally turning someone into gold again, of my curse affecting another.

I see everything that happens in this room. The secret touches. The leaning whispers. The one woman in the red dress who seems to stand out from the rest and interacts with no one.

She struts down the stairs, her cheeks flushed as she draws nearer to the ballroom floor. I watch her closely, my eyes never leaving her. She is familiar, yet a stranger to me. No name comes to mind to match her with.

Is this her?

The woman walks up to the food table and begins to fill her plate. My mouth waters as a pang of jealousy hits me. I would give almost anything to taste food again. She glances around theroom, her eyes darting from one guest to another before finally landing on me. Our eyes meet and lock. I can feel a jolt of electricity run through me.

For a moment, the entire room stands still. When a man in a peacock mask bumps into her, the spell is broken.

I watch her closely as she moves gracefully amongst the other guests. She is clearly a master of disguise, and despite my best efforts, I still cannot identify her. She is definitely the most suspicious person here, at least to me. The rest of the crowd seems perfectly content to ignore her completely.

As the night wears on, I my curiosity only grows. Who is this woman in the red dress? Why does she stand out so much? And why does she captivate me so completely?

I watch her from afar, studying her every move. She seems to glide effortlessly across the dance floor, her body swaying in time with the music. The same tall man in black dances with her every few songs, and she dances with no other. How I wish I could take a turn just once and talk to her. Her mask obscures most of her face, but I can see a hint of a smile playing at the corner of her lips.

She slips through the crowd and stands along the edge of the ballroom, almost as if hiding between dances. Always with some sort of food and a glass that she never drinks from in her hand. Who is she?

A yell from near one of the food tables draws my eye for a moment. I cannot see what is happening, but when my gaze returns to where she last stood, she is gone. I search the crowd for her but she is nowhere to be found.

Is she making her move now?

I leave the ballroom and head toward my rooms, both hoping and dreading that I will see her.

My heart races as I walk down the hallway, my feet pounding against the floors. Is she here? Had I been right about her identity? It is too late to turn back now.

My footsteps echo down the empty corridor as I approach my chamber doors. Pressing an ear to the polished gold, I'm met with silence - no hint of an intruder within. Still, caution slows my hand as I reach for the handle. The doors glide open soundlessly to reveal an undisturbed room, precisely as I left it. Relaxing slightly, I step inside and let the doors swing closed behind me.

A cursory scan shows nothing amiss, the moonlight cascading over familiar furnishings. But instincts honed from years on the throne keep me alert. I prowl the perimeter, peering into shadows, watchful for any sign of trespass.

There - a faint creak from the direction of the balcony makes me freeze. In three swift strides I cross the room and fling back the heavy curtains. Moonlight spills over a familiar figure, freezing her in the act of climbing through the open balcony doors.

For a split second shock roots me in place. It's her - the mystery woman in red, an unmistakable silhouette against the night sky. Victory surges hotly through my veins. I knew it!

"What are you doing?!" My voice booms through the room, echoing off the walls. Startled by my sudden appearance, she drops whatever she is carrying into an open bag at her feet and scrambles to cover it up with her skirt before turning to look at me with wide eyes.

"Nothing..." Her voice quivers with fear as she speaks, clearly trying to hide something from me but unable to find enough courage to fully meet my gaze.

My jaw clenches as I study her face. Is this the same woman that had tried to steal the Bodian crown?

"What did you take?"

She hesitates before finally speaking up again, "Nothing. I took nothing." Her voice shakes with nerves as she speaks, but there seems to be an underlying defiance there, too.

"Show me," I growl out.

"There's nothing to show."

I lean in close enough to scent the rose perfume she wears, "You should know better than to lie to your king. What are you doing in my room?"

I want to touch her. To see if she is the same woman that stole from me before, but what if I am wrong? I don't want to kill her if I can use her to find the woman.

She places her hand on my gold breastplate, and a coy smile emerges on her face. I freeze. No one has touched me—even my armor—in ten years. But this woman, standing in front of me, has the nerve to do so.

I fight to maintain my control as she looks up at me with those big green eyes, clearly trying to determine how she should proceed. I want to ask her questions, but I know it will be better if I can draw some information out of her by playing along with whatever she is up to.

"One night," She whispers, her breath warm against my skin.

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