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From the corner of her eyes, Neera saw a flash of golden and red. Zavian was speaking with a Duke, and from the way his arms were crossed and his face hardened with a frown, it looked serious. The Duke leaned close to the King and whispered something into his ear.

“Even tonight of all nights, he can’t take a break,” Jasmine sighed. Neera saw she was looking at Zavian too, and with a faraway look. “I was hoping this party would take his mind off things, forget everything for just one night. But it seems I failed.”

Neera’s heart reached out for the Queen. Jasmine cared about Zavian, in a way that Neera wouldn’t have preferred. If there was another way for her to be happy, and with a demon that loved her, Neera wished there was something she could do, and hoped Jasmine would not live a life devoid of love or romance and get the world of happiness she deserved.

A demon, clearly having one too many wines, stumbled before the Queen. The emerald-haired demon staggered to his feet and burped out an apology before disappearing away. Jasmine’s eyes twinkled with mischief as she looked at Neera.

“Come, let’s drown in the bliss of wine”, Jasmine raised her hand to a servant, signaling him to bring wine.

“I really don’t think we should drink.”

“Neera, remember what I told you about refusing wine from me?” The servant bowed and handed the Queen two large goblets of red wine. Jasmine took one and gave Neera the other.

“Let’s merry now, and worry later”, Jasmine tipped her head back and downed the liquid, as if she had been thirsty for ages. She broke out in a smile, her teeth unstained, and looked at Neera, waiting for her to do the same.

.....

Maybe it was because Neera had been used to a lonely and sad life for the most part of her years, and that was why she could recognize it without words being said, and in Jasmine’s eyes, Neera saw it, spelled out in bold, unbridled emotions on her face, displaying like an open book. And it was this that made her not argue, made her drink every last single drop of wine as Jasmine clapped and cheered her on.

“And now”, Jasmine produced a hand to her. “We dance!”

“But aren’t we supposed to dance with the men?” Neera asked.

“Oh to hell with the men,” Jasmine scoffed. “Tonight is your lucky night because you will dance with a Queen.”

And so, Neera took the hand and joined the throng of moving bodies on the floor as the music switched to something faster. Jasmine grabbed another goblet and downed it in the same fashion as the first, rich laughter escaping between her lips as she twirled. She took Neera’s hand and moved without rhythm, the weight of the crown still a heavy reminder tethering her from any misdemeanor she might regret the next day.

Something came unlocked within Neera, her shuffling feet floating off the ground, her vision throwing even more splashes of color to everything around her- Jasmine’s laugh, people’s eyes, and colorful clothes became vividly sharp. She caught a worried sight of Zavian as she twirled, the disapproving glares of Jasmine’s parents, the amusement in Azriel’s eyes.

But nothing mattered, for now was all about merry, and the next day, they worry.

….

Nothing could have prepared her for the next morning.

Opening her eyes was an uneasy task, the light from the sun cruel, like a mother’s harsh reprimand. The pain sliced through Neera’s body and bled into her brain, the thudding loud enough to fill her ears.

She hissed, and with more effort, pulled her eyes open, her food threatening to erupt with that small action. She was in her room and on her bed. How she got there she had no idea. She remembered dancing, laughing, and Zavian holding her arm, and then everything was a blur of nothingness.

Neera noticed the neon vial when she pushed herself up slowly and muttered appreciative words to the kind soul who left her the medicine. She swallowed it all, the bitter concoction piercing her taste buds, but she didn’t care, she just wanted to be okay fast.

She threw away her covers and could already feel the suffocating fog in her head clearing. The dress from the night before was still on her body, the red stain of wine on her bodice, and there was a tear on her skirt, the fabric limping out of place. Oh no, whatever happened, she really hoped she had not made a mess of herself.

There was water in her bath, and she ran a finger through its surface. It was still lukewarm. The warmth of the days coming now was cracking with slivers of cold, but she needed a sharp wake-up for her body. So she stripped, entered the tub, and reclined with a contented sigh.

The door flew open a few quiet moments later, and Neera shook, hugging herself close in the water. Jasmine waltzed in, blooming like a daisy on a bright spring morning. If there was anything Neera remembered, was that Jasmine had had wine like water the night before, and yet, she looked fine.

Was that one of the benefits she would come to enjoy when she became a demon? Drink and drink before any signs of drunkenness could come?

“There you are!” Jasmine sat at the edge of the tub, mischief glinting in her eyes. “You were quite the show last night.” she spoke with a light chuckle;

“I am so sorry, your Majesty, for anything I might have caused…”