She continued to walk around speaking with and listening to other guests. She soon figured out that people liked telling tales. She didn’t know what to believe anymore. Someone else claimed that the Ice King was once bitten by a cobra and that he had to suck the venom out of the wound, saving his own life. Another female guest whispered to a young woman that he spent the night with her under the stars, and when she woke up in the morning he had disappeared.
Yanni felt overwhelmed and was becoming a little bored. She wanted to meet the Ice King for herself and make up her own mind about him. It had already been two hours and there was still no sign of him. The music continued playing and she kept topping off her drink. Most of the time, she found someone to keep her company at a ball, but tonight she wanted to avoid any trouble.
Sometime later, she was so bored that she decided to join the dwarves at their table and play cards. Yanni was fed up waiting for James, and she thought that all the people at the ball were stuck up and filled with jealousy over the Ice King’s achievements. She began to question why she was even there.
The dwarves were happy to entertain her and once she started winning, they brought her beer. Yanni learned the rules of their game and within a few minutes she completely forgot about the promise she made to herself. She kept drinking and joking around, feeling much more relaxed. When the clock on the wall struck midnight, she decided to get out on the dance floor and have a bit of fun.
Other women were staring at her most of the time, but she stopped caring about other people’s opinions. It appeared that the Ice King wasn't going to show up at all, and she didn’t want to waste time waiting around for him.
The dwarves kept topping off her drinks and once she was drunk enough, she danced with them too. The orchestra kept playing quick ballads and Yanni’s head was speeding away. She was having so much fun. She didn’t have to worry about her stepmother or all the nosey ladies from Tyndil. She was free and she could do whatever she wanted. The drinks kept coming and no one dared to call her a useless princess anymore.
At some point, she got tired and sat down at the table. She must have dozed off for a bit, because when she woke up the ballroom had begun to empty. Yanni was still pretty wasted, and this was exactly what she wanted to avoid.
Well, it was too late, the party was nearly over and the man of the hour hadn’t bothered to show up at all. She thought that it was his fault that she got drunk. Now it was too late. She couldn’t even think straight, let alone try to act like a well-mannered young lady.
“My dear Princess, I think we should smoke a pipe together on the terrace,” one of the dwarves said, approaching her table. Yanni clapped her hands together and smiled thinking that this was not bad idea after all.
"Of course, come on. That’s a splendid idea," she said, trying to fix her dress. She hiccupped when she got up to walk away.
The dwarf asked if the others wanted to join them, but most of them were drunk and asleep at the table. No one else was dancing any longer, and most guests had already left. When Yanni was walking through the ballroom, she suddenly felt tired again. There was no sign of the Ice King or even Luciano. Yanni giggled to herself, thinking that the young prince was hiding away with the beautiful blond girl that was his chosen companion for the night. Right then, she felt a little left out. After all, she did hang around with the dwarves. It's not like this was a huge problem, they were funny and cute, but she arrived in this kingdom to meet the legendary Ice King, James III. She’d had no intention of getting drunk and partying.
She followed the young dwarf through the dark corridors until he finally located the terrace. The cold draft ruffled her now-messed-up hair and she shivered with cold chills. It was freezing and she didn’t bring a coat with her, but then she was suddenly overwhelmed with the stunning view that stretched right in front of her.
The Ice Castle looked out over the mountains, and in the moonlight, she could see the snowcapped tips. The navy sky was free from clouds and the stars were scattered throughout. She thought that this place was magical and she had never seen anything more beautiful.
"Bloody hell, it's freezing out here. Come on, let's get inside. I'll get us something stronger to drink while we smoke," the dwarf said, and Yanni reluctantly agreed.
She decided to wander around the dark corridor while waiting for Lucas, the dwarf who was bringing her a drink. The castle was huge and Yanni had the sudden urge to explore other chambers further down.
She picked up the bottom of her dress and walked quickly through the corridors, heading through the darkness, poking her head into each room. She was simply curious, hoping to find some sort of treasure or at least some of the Ice King’s secrets.
Yanni wasn’t thinking straight, when she pressed the door handle on the door at the end of the corridor and barged inside. Split seconds later, she realised that she had interrupted someone’s make out session. She stood in the middle of the chamber staring at the couple; they were completely unaware of her presence. His large hands were pressing against her buttocks and she was moving her hips up and down.
Yanni was so shocked that she couldn't move. The woman was moaning loudly, and half of her dress was folded down, exposing her huge breasts. The man leaned down and buried his head in her cleavage, using the other hand to stroke her nipples. Yanni thought that the scene was pretty hot and all of a sudden, she felt very aroused. Heat rushed to her core, spreading over every inch of her body.
Her mouth watered, and the woman moaned loudly again when he took her nipple into his mouth. Things like that didn’t happen in her kingdom, but she finally realised that she wasn’t supposed to be there. Yanni felt a sudden ache between her legs. She wanted to trade places with the mysterious blond. Her heart skipped a beat and she gasped, forgetting that only a moment ago she was supposed to smoke a pipe with one of the dwarves.
"Bloody hell! Who are you and how the hell did you get in here?"
A deep voice threw her back into reality. All of a sudden, Yanni felt completely sober. She realised that the man had lifted his head from the woman's cleavage and noticed her standing in the middle of the room.
Yanni didn't answer, she parted her lips, blood rushing to her ears. The woman giggled, trying to grab the man's head and kiss him, but he shook his head, looking furious. Yanni noticed his vibrant blue eyes, dark beard and pure lust poured inside her stomach.
"I…I'm sorry—"
She didn't finish her sentence.
"Get out, you nosy girl. If you want to take her place, you will have to wait your turn!" he shouted, and then Yanni felt some kind of incredible force push her outside back into the corridor. She slammed on the floor and the impact rolled her over several meters away. An icy cold draft hit her face. The door to the chamber slammed shut, and ice covered the frame instantly, freezing the lock.
Yanni sat on the marble floor, shocked, and a little taken aback by what just happened in that room. Moments later, she got up and started walking in the opposite direction, trying to pull herself together. She suddenly felt very dizzy. The dwarf was most likely looking for her now, but Yanni was done. She didn’t fancy smoking a pipe with him any longer.
She managed to wander off to another empty chamber with a cozy-looking bed. She was exhausted and just wanted to sleep. Once inside, she took off her shoes, telling herself that she was never going to drink that much again, and then dropped on the bed. She drifted off, wondering why the Ice King hadn't showed up at his own ball.
6
The next day, Yanni woke up with a massive headache and thought to herself that she couldn’t keep failing like that. After the last time, she was determined to change, and last night she was back to square one again. She didn’t recognise the chamber that she was in but assumed that she must still be in the Ice King’s castle. Her mind was spinning away and every muscle ached and burned. Seconds later, she got up and ran to the bathroom to empty her stomach.
After she was done, she felt that she could walk again. Y
anni was very much hungover and she hated that she couldn’t control herself; she drank way too much at the ball. She lay in bed for a bit, hoping to feel better or at least waiting for her head to stop spinning. It took her another moment to realise that she was still wearing her beautiful ball dress. Her makeup and hair were ruined. Yanni felt ashamed of her behaviour. She wasn’t supposed to get wasted and play cards with the dwarves.
Maybe the women in town were right and she simply wasn’t ready to become Queen of Tyndil. She was still young and obviously irresponsible. On top of that, she was certain that she ended up sleeping in some random chamber instead going back to her own.
She gasped, suddenly remembering what happened last night. She’d barged right into someone’s chamber not even looking where she was going. There was a couple inside and they were busy ravishing each other. Yanni couldn’t believe that she behaved so irresponsibly. This had never happened to her before and now she felt ashamed of acting like the old Yanni.
As soon as she stopped feeling sick, she fixed her hair and washed her face. She needed to get back to her chamber and take a shower. She left the room and started walking through the empty corridors. The castle was immersed in silence and it looked like most of the guests were still asleep.
It was early and she still felt exhausted. She shouldn't have given in to her temptations and sat with the dwarves in the first place. This whole trip was about her own personal redemption, getting respect back from her people and instead, she accomplished the complete opposite.
Finally, after about ten minutes, and receiving directions from the maids who seemed amused that she was lost, Yanni managed to locate her old chamber. She took a quick shower and then slipped into another dress that the maids left out for her the night before. At first, she was certain that it was a gift from the Ice King, but it was Luciano who had arranged it all. His father was most likely too busy to worry about whether or not his guests had anything to wear.
Yanni couldn't stop thinking about the incident from the night before. She felt certain the man that had the woman on his lap was the Ice King himself—James III. He was angry, furious that Yanni barged into his private chamber. He threw her out using his magical abilities. Barbra was absolutely right, the man loved having multiple women in his company. Yanni wasn’t even sure if she wanted a man that slept around so much. She didn’t want to come across easy or shallow, and now she began questioning if she should have come here in the first place. Maybe he wasn’t the right man for her after all.
She still had a splitting headache, even after her quick shower, so she went downstairs, hoping to get some food into her system. One of the maids mentioned the king was throwing a late brunch for all the guests from the ball and Yanni was invited too. The older maid showed her the way, telling her that everyone was already there.
Yanni smoothed her hair, applied red lipstick, attempting not to look nervous. The dining room was busy, and the worst thing was that the dwarves were there too. They spotted her straight away and waved for her to come over. Yanni’s stomach made a funny jolt. She couldn’t sit with them right now. She was supposed to act like a lady, and after what happened last night, she needed to stay away from them. She smiled back, aware that the women with darker skin and hair were sensing her hesitation, and watching her closely. She quickly sat down at the nearest table, purposely avoiding the dwarves. Yanni glanced around the hall, feeling like people were still talking about her. She couldn’t see the Ice King at the main table, but a second later, Luciano showed up, and he wasn’t alone.
Yanni had to lift her head to notice a very tall and handsome man standing behind him. Her stomach made a sudden flip. She instantly recognised the azure blue eyes, and the same characteristic beard. Her body betrayed her, growing heated and needy. She was staring directly at the Ice King, the man who was fucking someone else last night. She liked what she was looking at and this had nothing to do with her desire to be Queen.
The instant attraction caught her off guard, and a jolt of electricity moved down her body. There was something about him, something that caused her heart to vibrate and thump faster. She couldn’t even explain it to herself.
“Yanni, let me introduce you to my father, James III. Father, this is Snow White, the woman who saved me from those highwaymen in the forest," Luciano said and Yanni swallowed hard, trying to calm her pounding heart.
She quickly got up, forgetting about breakfast and bowed in front of him. She had royal blood in her veins, but she thought that the gesture was appropriate. Soft warmth infused her cheeks when she met his cobalt eyes.
The Ice King was as handsome as everyone claimed, and in some strange way, she noticed that he had a mysterious aura around him. His energy was poking her in the ribs, sinking into her skin. He was dressed in a crispy white shirt and black trousers. Yanni found it odd that he also carried a long silver sword by his side. His cheekbones were high and his chin was covered with a thick dark beard that Yanni instantly wanted to caress. She felt intimidated by his presence and he hadn't said anything to her yet. On top of that, she was certain that he remembered her from last night.
"Princess of Tyndil—well, well, well, what a splendid surprise. Next time, I must remember to mail out an extra invitation to Tyndil. It seems that I have missed a great deal by not including you in all my plans,” the Ice King spoke, and his eyes flickered with mischief. Yanni had no idea if he was glad or displeased that she was there. She would have known about his secret balls, but she suspected that Ruth had never been invited to the Ice Castle.
“If you will excuse me, Father, I will leave the two of you alone,” Luciano interrupted, and vanished before Yanni could ask him to stay.
“Your son asked me to show up at the ball and I think I must have had a little too much wine when I interrupted your evening, my lord,” she said, somehow managing to say what she wanted. The memory of his bare chest flashed in front of her eyes, and heat rushed to her core again. Standing next to him now, her head only reached that high, but Yanni always liked tall men.
“Don’t worry about it, Snow White. I acted a bit too harshly,” James admitted and Yanni exhaled with relief. She was so worried that he would still be angry.
“I must thank you for saving Luciano’s life out there. That boy is so irresponsible. He's still young and stubborn. He purposely lost his troops in the village. He thought that I wouldn’t find out, but I have people everywhere.”
Yanni felt a little silly again. Obviously, James wouldn’t let anything happen to Luciano, but as she recalled there was no one there that could have saved him otherwise. Yanni was glad that she could help.
"Thank you, but I only did what any other person would have done in that situation. It’s a pleasure to meet you, my lord.” She bowed slightly. “I should have visited your kingdom a long time ago, but the opportunity never arose. I would like to stay and get to know you and your people a little better before I head back to Tyndil. I have to admit that I have never travelled outside my home before,” she said, aware that James was standing very close to her and she could smell his cologne. Her heart was fluttering uncontrollably in her chest.
The Ice King smiled and Yanni could have sworn that she saw tiny bits of ice around his beard that magically vanished a split second later. She needed to stop drinking for a while, because the alcohol was truly messing with her vision.
"Oh, I think you got to know everyone pretty well last night, darling. The dwarves have been telling me that you're very good with cards," James said, and Yanni wanted to bury herself underground. The Ice King wasn't even at the ball, yet he knew everything that had happened there.
Her cheeks went red.
"I indulged myself with way too much wine and beer, my lord, and I do apologise if I—"
"No, don't worry about it, my dear Snow White, it was quite the entertainment," he cut her off and then leaned closer. Yanni's heart stopped in her chest because she sensed his arousal. She had a feeling that the Ice King was giving
her some sort of sign, an open invitation for her seduction game.
Yanni decided that she needed to be much bolder and make sure that she voiced what she truly wanted.
"Good. I’m glad that I could provide proper entertainment. I would love for you to show me around your kingdom and the winter land. I’ve been told incredible tales about your bravery, my lord,” she added, twisting a lock of her hair around her finger.
Yanni didn’t really know what was happening to her. She suddenly felt like she wanted him despite his reputation. He stared at her with such intensity that she was losing control of her body. Flashbacks from last night’s encounter were coming back and now she wanted to be the one in his arms. She didn't care that the Ice King was most likely fifteen years older than her. To her, the age difference didn’t matter anymore. Deep down, she was aching to have him inside her and was looking forward to seeing her stepmother's face once she found out that Yanni managed to seduce the Ice King himself.
She didn't move an inch, waiting to see how James was going to react. They were still standing very close to one another and the ice Yanni had felt moments ago had turned to warmth. The heat was messing with her head.
"You saw enough last night, my dear, when you disrupted my passionate lovemaking session with Isabelle. She's from a land called France and her lips are incredibly soft," James said, suddenly changing his tune. “Next time, come over to my chamber, but make sure that I'm alone first. I hate being interrupted.”
Another waft of cold, almost icy air filled her lungs. Yanni felt a little dizzy and when she was finally able to gather herself, the Ice King was already walking away.
Yanni scratched her head wondering what was going on. The Ice King just invited her to his private chamber like it was the most natural thing to do. She had to admit that no one had ever made her feel this way. Even now, her whole body was on fire and her breathing was irregular. James didn’t seem happy that she interrupted his steamy encounter with Isabelle, and Yanni wished that she could be as beautiful as her.