My mind began racing, and I quickly asked Mira, "Wait—did something happen between the two of you at the party?"
Mira's expression changed, and while avoiding the question she said, "Well… it was nothing."
I grew more curious. "Hey, come on! Now you have to tell me in detail what happened."
Mira sighed. "Okay, fine. We were with Alice—just me and my mom at first—meeting several guests at the party. Then, out of nowhere, while I was talking to a man who looked as though he might be a prince, Alex suddenly appeared from behind and greeted him as his friend. That's when I realized the young man was actually the second son of the king of our subsidiary nation, and that Alex, the commander of defense and security, was close friends with him.
They started talking, and I was about to leave, but Alex called me back and said, 'I'm friends with many guests here. Let me introduce you to them.' Then he gently led us away from Alice, and a whole new tour began for us. We met princes, kings, wealthy merchants—you name it. All of them turned out to be friends with Alex.
I couldn't help but ask him, 'How come you're friends with so many of them?'
He smiled and replied, 'Well, I'm the head of defense and security, so of course everyone wants to maintain good relations with me. And besides, since I'm not a royal, I'm more approachable to them too.'
And while he was saying this, the instruments began to play, and everyone started dancing.
At that moment, I found myself looking at you in pure admiration. You and Rayan were dancing together—you both looked so graceful, so lovely.
But before I could enjoy the scene any longer, the second son appeared in front of me and asked me to dance with him. I was completely flustered and shy, and before I could even find the words to answer, Alex suddenly grabbed my hand.
He looked at the second son and said firmly, "Sorry, but she's going with me."
Before I could even process what had happened, I was swept into the crowd, dancing with Alex.
It felt unreal… and yet strangely natural to me.
We didn't exchange a single word. We just danced. And danced.
After the dance, we talked.
About little things.
About you and Rayan.
And when the party finally ended, Alex even came to see us off, walking with us all the way to the gate."
My eyes widened, and my tone shifted to shock as I said, "Mira, all this happened and you didn't tell me a thing? You're only telling me now because I asked? When were you planning to tell me—on your wedding day?"
In my mind, I thought, Wow… I never imagined Alex to be like this. Looking closely, he's actually a true gentleman—and perfect for Mira. I scolded him in my mind for no reason.
Hearing me, Mira grew a little flustered, but then, in a soft and almost sad tone, she said, "Maybe I didn't tell you because it felt too good to be true."
I said, "Well, Mira, at least look at me before saying such things. I was once a thief, and then I married Rayan, who is now a king. If that's possible, then there's no way your love story will be left incomplete. You just need to do your part."
Listening to me, Mira laughed and said, "Well, yes, you are a living example of it. But what can I do in my case?"
I replied immediately, "What do you mean 'what'? He's here, you're here, in this palace! You can ask him for directions, or just spend time with him while roaming around, saying you forgot something at the party and are now searching for it. Be creative."
Hearing this, Mira smiled and said, "Yeah, you're right. I'll figure out something when I go out of the palace."
I asked her, "By the way, you said that you and Alex were talking about me and Rayan… what exactly were you two talking about?"
Mira replied,
"Well, Alex was talking about his early days in the castle. After the dance, he said, 'A smile was rarely seen on His Majesty's face before he met the Queen. But look at him now—he can't seem to stop smiling.'
I asked him, 'Oh, so you must have known him for quite a long time, right?'
Alex nodded and said, 'Yes, actually. I've known him ever since I was a child. My father was in charge of defense and security back then.'