Frantic Feast Chapter 4

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Chapter 4

The Kushuhal hosted party was extravagant that day.
The Treno nobles who heard that the Queen of Alexandria was coming, were all gathered around in Kushuhal's lobby, dressing as formal as possible. Of course part of the reason was to see the historical beauty in Alexandria, but mostly they were curious about what was going to happen between her and the son of Kushuhal.
The moment that the Queen of Alexandria entered from the stairs, the nobles stopped their chattering and shut their mouth. Everyone was lost in her beauty beyond imagination. They gazed at the young Queen, motionless.
The Queen of Alexandria paused her pace at the big gate of the palace.
And then, slowing bending her knees to do a gracious curtsey, she lifted her face and smiled.
With only that, the nobles in the lobby exclaimed with excitement.
"Your Majesty, this way."
Kushuhal appeared in front of her and led her. Beatrix, who seemed to be cautious, followed.
The Queen sat on the seat which was that reserved before.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to my mansion. I have called the musicians in Treno, so please have fun dancing and enjoy your snacks."
With Kushuhal announcing in a high tone, nobles returned to their conversations once more.
The elegant music flowed from the musician group, some of the nobles stepped into the center, pairing up by themselves, and began to dance.
Zidane watched the place carefully from the side of the wall. Those eyes were glued to the Queen since she walked into the room.
"Hohoho, no need to be that discreet, Mr.Marcus. That person would not do anything to Her Majesty under public eyes. In addition, Beatrix is by her side."
Beside him, Tot, who was doing the same, spoke up with a teasing tone.
"Well.....even if that's true...."
Zidane sighed. He could not help but to worry about Garnet.
Seeing him like this, Tot shook his head, a beam hanging at the side of his mouth.
"Speaking of which, Mr. Marcus,"
As if questioning Tot for the rest of the sentence, Zidane shifted his eyes to him.
"What? Dr.Tot."
".....I think you should look at your surroundings more."
In respond of the suggestion, Zidane swept his eyes around him, confused.
Immediately, he moved backwards. But since his back was already against the wall, his attempt failed.
Somewhere during this time, a lot of ladies scattered around Zidane, and sending hot eyes at him.
One of the ladies who he coincidentally made eye contact with stepped out in her pink dress.
"Um......would you, dance with me..?"
She said, her face red out of embarrassment. Like she just broke the surface, the other ladies also blurted:
"No, please dance with me."
"No, please be with me!"
"I am good at dancing, please dance with me!"
"No way, with me!"
While saying that, the ladies went closer, Zidane did not know what to do.
"No, wait, you see, I..."
Thinking of how to get out of this situation, his eyes naturally focused on Garnet. Garnet was looking at him too, their eyes met.
She conveyed her beautiful smile.
I can't refuse!!!!!!!!
Zidane shouted in his mind desperately, although that voice did not reach her.
Even during that time, the ladies were almost squishing him, arguing: "Oh dance with me" "Dance with me!" "Please dance with me!"
.....Zidane had the urge to cry.


Garnet sighed quietly.
Zidane liked girls a long time ago, he must be enjoying himself right now.
Frankly, Garnet could understand their feelings.
Not the trainee clothes, Zidane-who was now wearing a tux, was undoubtedly attractive no matter how people look at it. Tall, handsome, and unlike those nobles, he held a unique valiant aura. Indeed, the ladies would want to dance with him for at least one song.
Actually, if Garnet could, she wanted to dance with him as well.
She sighed again.
At that moment, someone's hand entered her view.
Looking up, wondering what was happening, she saw a young man standing there.
Garnet went into shock.
Alexend???!!
Bulging her eyes, she stared at him.
Those emerald irises, the structure of his appearance, this young man was exactly like the one in her memory, the one who protected Garnet.....Sarah. If that boy had grown up, it would be the same except for one spot.
Alexend....?!
Is it really..? But he had no horn. Besides, there was no way he could have survived.
Although Garnet was examining him with widened eyes, the young man spoke to her as if not noticing anything.
"It is an honor. I am Yuju, the son of Governor Kushuhal. ......Would you dance with me for one song?"
Garnet, still dazing, shifted her eyes from his hand to his face, back and forth, back and forth.
Yuju.....
Not Alexend....
Nonetheless, it looked like him. There was no way that they could look the same...!
Everything, the eyes, the aura, the face, everything!
But...he was not Alexend.....He had died. This was another person who...looked like him.
Without realizing, her hand pressed softly on his.
Gradually raising her body up, he escorted her into the center circle of the lobby.
Joining one hand, with the other hand on his shoulder, they started to dance according to the rhythm of the music.
The nobles surrounding them watched with curious eyes.
"Oh, it is Mr.Yuju! He is dancing with Her Majesty."
"Fabulous! They are such a perfect match."
"Mr.Yuju...even with this kind personality, he did not have any rumors....I have always admired him..I would not ever stand a chance if it is Her Majesty.."
From the corners of the room, the gentlemen and ladies sighed with disappointment.
Certainly that included the ladies who were surrounding Zidane. Currently, they were gazing at the two people, drifting in imagination.
Zidane was in shock.
Garnet is dancing with another man....
It seemed like nothing with merely these words. If he had to say it strongly, he felt like he had just swallowed a huge rock, hard to breathe and all.
Even so, he could not remove his eyes from those two.
Garnet....
"They are a matching couple."
"If it is Her Majesty and Mr. Yuju, both in high society, they could be a matching couple! I suppose it is already decided..."
Words like that went into his appalled ears.
[If it is Her Majesty and Mr. Yuju, both in high society....]
"......!"
Zidane clenched his fists hard, hard as if his skin would split.
"Garnet...."
That murmur, unfortunately, was only heard by Tot.



Even while dancing, Garnet was still absent minded.
Yuju chuckled.
"Is there something on my face?"
Garnet finally realized that she was gazing at his face all the time.
Panicking, she lowered her irises.
"Or...is it because I look exactly like the same as someone you know?"
Feeling that he penetrated her thoughts, she lifted her head once more.
The kind emerald eyes were piercing into her.
Thinking that she might think of him as Alexend again, she quickly went to examine the floor.
"Is...your name.....really Yuju?"
"Yes."
"......."
Garnet lowered her face. He was someone else. Alexend had already died.
"...Please do not be so sad."
The calm voice echoed. Towards the voice that was the same as his aura, Garnet felt safe. It was the first time she felt this way except for Zidane’s. Perhaps it was because he and Alexend were too much alike.
"......It is okay. You would meet that person very soon."
----------------------[It's okay.]
The words folded together with the voice in the dream, billows on the surface of Garnet’s heart.
"Ah...."
Interjecting when she was about to say something, Yuju grinned.
Even the grin was the same as that boy.
Within the curious eyes of the nobles, the song ended.
Yuju pulled away from her, took her left hand, and dropped a light kiss on her fingernail.
"Thank you for dancing with me. ....I would love to stay and chat, but his eyes were about to kill me. So let us continue another time."
"Huh...”
Yuju politely nodded to her, flipping his body, walking away. Garnet who was now alone, was yet still watching him blankly.
From eyes of a stranger, she was no more than a girl who got her heart stolen by that young man.
* * *
Garnet looked up to the sky after the party had ended, she was in her room.
Drowned in her thought, she sighed.
The people like the maids and Beatrix who were clueless, were extremely confused about their Queen's change of heart. Even when they were assisting her to change clothes and put on night gowns, her pupils were fixed on the sky.
Being alone in the dark room, Garnet sat on her bed, and recalled those days in Madain Sari.
Days when she and Alexend were playing from day to night.
Days when they found their secret place.
Days when he was teaching her tons of interesting thing inside the secret place.
There were also times when they were tired from playing and fell asleep in the secret place. She remembered that the adults searched for them anxiously, then scolded them.
As she opened her eyes, it was dark everywhere, and she was supposed to be terribly scared. Nevertheless, with Alexend beside her, so she did not feel that afraid. Instead, she was calm.
......Thinking about the past like this, I was really relying on him a lot back then.
At that time, she was a weakling who was not capable to go out without him.
"Alexend...."
Did he...truly die...?
Was Yuju.....really not related to him in any way?
They were so alike as if she could not find any difference. Too alike, the aura, and the face.
Garnet sighed.
Meanwhile, she heard a small creaking noise.
"!?"
Startled, she turned backwards.
Recognizing the figure, Garnet was relieved, calling his name with a beam.
"Zidane."
The window was opened. It was for sure that he entered the room from there. Although this room was on the second floor, it did not seem like a problem to him at all. There was an oak tree right beside the window, he must had climbed up from there.
Standing up from her bed, she walked towards him.
He was still in his tux.
Garnet was intending to stop a few steps in front of him. However, Zidane closed that distance with one pace. Just as she felt she was being pulled, the next second, she was in his arms.
"Zidane....?"
The force of the arms around her was so much stronger than usual that it made her hard to breath.
Without thinking that it had anything to do with her, Garnet wondered idly.
"Zidane?"
Lifting her face, she met his irises.
"!"
Abruptly attacked by his lips, Garnet felt like having a seizure.
"Zi........hm!"
Forceful and disoriented, like a wild beast. Switching different angles for uncountable times, feeling that even breathing was difficult, Garnet panted.
"What....did you talk about?"
Once the mouth was free, Zidane said.
That voice, was not the cheerful one that he always had.

It was dark------and scary.