Chosen Bride of the Seven Dark Princes

Dinner that night was held outside at the barbecue area under Marakaran's single blonde moon.

There were dozens of lit fabric lanterns in a multitude of colors hanging on low willow branches surrounding the large lotus pond and along the broad stone pavers that led to and from the group of partiers and the kitchen area.

This courtyard was one of the largest ones in the complex despite being located deep within the heart of the palace.

As an attendant turned the lamb on the roast pit, other attendants scurried about serving curried rice dishes on large flat banana leaves and soups in coconut shells.

There were silver platters of roast potatoes and carrots and huge baskets of hot butter rolls. There were bowls of corn on the cob and bowls of fresh greens.

There were baskets of fried chicken and baskets of steamed dumplings. There were at least three different kinds of soups being ladled out into bowls and served to the royal family.

Mounds and mounds of Marakaran food began coming out of the nearby kitchen, carried by tall thin silver-haired attendants wearing white balloon patiala pants and nothing else.

There were fancy mixed drinks served from tall spirals made from speckled animal horns, and there were round goblets made from the shells of some deep ocean mollusk.

The party was well underway when a large group of attendants walked in through the entrance.

Following behind them was the Emperor's entire family, including his Empress Anastasia and his two remaining Royal Consorts, Fatima and Theodora with their girls in tow.

"Father! Mother!" The Princes exclaimed and stood up.

"Your Majesty!" The remainder of the party also called out and stood at attention.

Emperor Rex waved his hand. "At ease, at ease. It's a casual barbecue. I'm just here to wish my children well and to eat some good food."

He laughed as he looked about the place.

It really was a grand palace. In some aspects, it was even grander than Erenveil palace which was starting to get a little grungy and in need of refresh.

"King Ashwyn!" Emperor Rex called out. "This is quite an amazing palace!"

Ash bowed, his heart plummeting into his stomach.

There was no way he could ignore the Emperor when the proclamation was aimed directly at him.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Poppy turned sharp accusatory eyes at Ash, mouthing the word 'King Ashwyn'???

He glanced at her without saying a word. The chance for him to explain was gone, as the Emperor strode over to him with hands outstretched.

"It's been awhile since I've been back here but it never ceases to amaze me how beautiful this place is. Your palace is absolutely stunning!"

Ashwyn reached out to grasp the Emperor's hands.

"It's an honor to receive such distinguished guests as yourself and your family. Please enjoy your stay here."

As the King and the Emperor traded introductions, Daisy and Ariana quickly made their way towards Candace.

Pushing aside their brothers, they each chose a spot on either side of her and clung onto her upper arms refusing to let go. They had not seen her in awhile and was not about to let this opportunity to sit with her go to waste.

Their brothers grudgingly moved around Candace to give room for the little girls. Little sisters always trumped husbands when it came to family events such as these. Besides, they hadn't seen their sisters since the last family barbecue.

"Want some roast meat?" Lucas handed Daisy a plate full of sliced roast lamb.

"Have some carrots and potatoes too. They're good for a growing girl like you." Leonardo pressed the vegetables on Daisy.

On the other side, Jared and Jason were also pushing food onto their sister Ariana.

"Trust me, the baked stuffing is amazing," Jason placed a dish of stuffing in front of Ariana as Jared placed a roast chicken leg on top.

"I want what she's having!" Ariana pointed to Candace's dish which held baked eggplant.

"Me too!" Daisy clamored even though she had no idea what it was that Candace was eating.

Candace laughed. "This is baked eggplant."

"Egg—eggplant?" Ariana and Daisy looked at each other.

Lucas laughed. "Trust me. You don't want eggplant. Just eat what we give you."

On the other side of Candace and the young girls was Poppy and her two men.

One was tall, dark, and handsome and the other one was tall, bright, and handsome. It was almost like they were opposite poles and she was the colorful red-head fulcrum at the center.

At the moment however, the 'bright and handsome' one was struggling to keep his equilibrium because she was giving him the obvious cold shoulder treatment.

Everyone held their tongue and discretely looked away as Ash's secret burst like a confetti balloon, raining down bright colorful specks of joyful micro explosions.

Judging from the stiffness of Poppy's back, Ash was not going to be able to sneak through this one without at least a tiny bit of pain.

"Poppy…" Ash tried to make conversation with the, now very cold and unapproachable, red hair woman sitting next to him.

She turned away, pretending interest in a caramelized roasted slice of lamb.

Seeing her interest, Mattheus speared it and placed it on her plates along with a few pieces of caramelized roasted baby carrots.

It was now fairly obvious to Mattheus that Poppy had no idea Ash was really Ashwyn, King of Marakaran and he could see the very familiar stiff face and clenched jaw she made when she was boiling mad.

He tried hard not to look smug, but he couldn't help feeling euphoric because the one thing that Mattheus knew, which Ash didn't, was that Poppy hated to be lied to.

It was her number one pet peeve.

Ash tried again.

Clearing his throat, he reached out to touch Poppy's hand.

At the last moment, she yanked her hand away to reach for some candied flower petals.

"Poppy. Please talk to me." He begged in a soft tone.

Without turning her head, she muttered through smiling lips.

"There's nothing to talk about."

"I know you're upset…"

"Who me? Why would I be upset?" Poppy smiled with venom. "It's not that big of a deal that someone I thought was my friend, straight up lied to my face."

"It's not—like that. I didn't say anything at first because…"

"Because you thought I would go ga-ga and crush all over you, and you didn't want the drama?" She turned hard violet eyes at him. "Or because you didn't think I was worth your time to tell me a little about yourself?"

Ash sighed, shaking his head. "No Poppy. When we first met, you treated me like a friend, and I didn't want to say anything that would cause you to stop treating me like a friend."

She turned away from him, fixing her stormy violet eyes into the distance.

"I treated you like a friend because I wanted to be your friend, but you didn't treat me like a friend because you lied to me!"

Her violet eyes filled with tears and her voice dropped to a harsh whisper.

"I feel like such an idiot, telling my family this was a hotel that they could stay at for a good price. I can't even face them now." She covered her face with her hands.

Ash sighed. "They still love you and have never thought less about you."

Poppy stood up.

"Yeah well, I think less of myself now. Candace tried to tell me this wasn't a hotel and I just brushed her aside like she was clueless—when the real clueless idiot was me."

Ash stood up and reached out for her hand, but again, she brushed him away.

"What a stupid fool I was to trust you." She turned away from him and walked off.

Mattheus jumped up and followed immediately behind her.

This was his final chance to make it real and play for keeps.