Chapter 9

                                    

                                          
The carriage ride to the Grande Palace was filled with loud obnoxious laughter. Amina had explained the story to her two best friends as soon as she saw them. Even Zoya. who was usually the only rational one in the friend group, had tears in her eyes from how hard she was laughing. 
                          
She could only hope that Aleksander could get the powder out of his hair before he got there. It would be incredibly embarrassing if the Second Army general had sparkly hair when meeting royals and their friends.
                          
As she was escorted to where she was to wait for her boyfriend, she found him already standing there with an annoyed look on her face. Hair still multi-color and sparkling under the lights.
                          
She bit the inside of her cheek as hard as she could when she approached him, desperate not to laugh in his face at his ridiculous appearance. 
                          
"Hello. I thought I told you to get rid of the stuff in your hair" she said amusedly.
                          
"I couldn't get it out. No matter how much I take out, it's like there's always more. Speaking of, Zoya can you blow the stuff out of my hair?" 
                          
She nodded quickly, stepping forward and raising her hands. She snickered as she sent a gust of wind at him. He scowled at her before shooting a glare towards Genya who let a few chuckles slip. 
                          
He huffed at all of them before taking Cassiopeia and stomping towards the lavishly decorated ballroom. They shot each other entertained looks as they followed suit. 
                          
The Tailor and Squaller let Amina go in first along with General Kirigan as they walked in behind them. Cassiopeia had now caught sight of the shiny decor and was giggling as she gave her dad sloppy kisses on the cheek. Apparently shiny things made her really happy, something Aleksander found out when she allowed him to play with the substance that Zoya and David gave him.
                          
Like every other time the small family walked into the room, everyone stared as they passed to greet the king and queen. 
                          
As they exchanged pleasantries, Mina could feel the king's eyes running up and down her form. This made her beyond uncomfortable. This wasn't the first time either. But it looked like she wasn't the only one who noticed, seeing as Aleksander slid an arm around her waist and protectively pulled her to his side. Quick to make an escape, she grabbed Cassiopeia and excused herself from the conversation. 
                          
Looking through the crowd, she spotted Ivan and Fedyor near one of the many dessert tables. Fedyor grabbed a pink sweet, sticking it into Ivan's face for him to eat while the latter stubbornly shook his head and refused. Fedyor apparently had enough and grabbed Ivan's face, turning it towards him and shoving the pastry into his mouth. Ivan tried to shoot him a glare but both Fedyor and Amina saw his small smile.
                          
She made a bee-line towards, in her opinion, one of the cutest couples she's ever seen.