Leo and Auriella walked side by side into the grand castle, their steps in sync as they moved along the carpeted path. The atmosphere was serene, punctuated by the soft shuffle of their footsteps. 

On either side of the path stood a row of maids, their heads bowed respectfully as the pair passed. At the end of the path, an elderly butler, dressed in a finely pressed suit, waited with a warm but practiced smile.

"Welcome back, Your Highness, Miss Auriella," the butler greeted with a slight bow. "His Majesty is expecting you both in the drawing room. Follow me, please."

He turned gracefully and led them down a long, dimly lit hallway to their left. 

The castle was as silent as it was vast, the walls lined with portraits of past rulers, their eyes seemingly following the trio as they moved through the corridor.

They soon arrived at a set of ornate doors. The butler pushed them open, revealing a spacious drawing room bathed in the golden light of a nearby fireplace. 

The room was decorated with opulent furnishings, and the warmth from the hearth provided a stark contrast to the cold stone of the castle walls. 

The king, a stately figure with a crown resting lightly atop his greying hair, stood as Leo and Auriella entered.

"My son, you're here!" The king's voice boomed with enthusiasm. His gaze shifted to Auriella, and a flicker of something unreadable passed over his face before he continued, "And you brought the de—, I mean, Miss Auriella, with you. That's great to see! Now come, sit!"

The king motioned to the couch opposite him, and the two took their seats, the plush cushions sinking under their weight. 

The king gave a quick nod to the butler, who then exited the room, only to return moments later with a small, unassuming book in hand. He handed it to the king with a bow before stepping back.

The king opened the book and handed it to Auriella with an oddly warm smile. 

"Since this is a celebration of all your war achievements, I figured you may want to dress up for the occasion. So, with that in mind, please choose one design from this list."

Auriella accepted the book, her fingers brushing over the worn leather cover. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she took in the king's expression. 

‘What's he up to?’ she wondered, her mind racing. The king had never been particularly fond of her, especially given her blunt nature.

As she opened the book, she was greeted by a collection of frilly and elaborate dress designs. 

Each one seemed more excessive than the last, with layers of lace, ruffles, and bows. Auriella felt a wave of disgust wash over her. 

‘So. Many. Frills,’ she thought, barely able to conceal her distaste.

"Do I really have to choose a dress?" she asked, her voice tinged with irritation. "I much prefer my armor, human king."

The king’s warm smile faltered, his eyes flashing with anger for a brief moment before he coughed, regaining his composure. 

"This is my gift to you for all you have done for us. Won't you accept my goodwill?"

Auriella’s lips pressed into a thin line as she met his gaze. There was no way out of this, at least not without causing a scene. She forced a smile, though it felt more like a grimace. 

"Of course I will, thank you in advance," she managed to say, her voice strained.

The king seemed satisfied as he rose from his seat. "Good! Now, Leo, come with me. I must speak with you about the finer details in private." He turned to Auriella, his smile returning. 

"And Miss Auriella, when you've decided, please tell this maid your choice. I will call the designer to the castle so they may work with you immediately."

With that, the king exited the room, Leo and the butler following close behind. Auriella was left alone with the maid, who promptly sat where the king had been. 

The maid’s posture was stiff, her eyes filled with barely concealed disdain as she stared at Auriella.

Auriella, who had been trying to focus on the designs in front of her, sighed in frustration. "You could learn to hide that better. You're making it difficult to pick from these ugly things when it was already hard enough."

The maid’s only response was to sigh loudly before lying down on the couch, her back to Auriella. "Wake me when you've decided, then," she muttered, closing her eyes as if to nap.

Auriella stared at the maid in disbelief. 'She makes it sound easy to pick from all this garbage,’ she thought, flipping through the book again. 

After a few moments, she realized she had reached the last page. 

“What? This only has five designs? How is that much of a choice?” she muttered softly to herself.

Frustrated, she tossed the book gently at the maid, startling her. "What?! Already?" the maid asked, sitting up quickly.

"Yeah, just call the designer already. I need to speak with them," Auriella replied, her patience wearing thin.

The maid scrambled to her feet and hurried out of the room to fetch the designer. It wasn’t long before the door opened again, and a young woman, clearly flustered, entered the room. 

She looked between Auriella and the maid before hesitantly picking up the book.

"Um, what am I supposed to do with this?" the designer asked, her voice shaking slightly as she noticed that all the designs had been X'd out in thick, angry strokes.

Auriella smirked. "Burn it!" she said, pointing to the roaring fireplace.

The designer’s eyes widened in shock, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to process Auriella's words. "But... I..."

Auriella interrupted her, her tone firm. "Instead of those, I want you to make something more my style."

The designer swallowed hard, a nervous sweat breaking out on her forehead. "Of course! I can do that," she stammered, looking as if she was already regretting taking this assignment.

Meanwhile, in the king's office, Leo and the king were deep in conversation. The king had been outlining the details of the upcoming celebration with a mix of excitement and seriousness.

"I will present you both with medals," the king was saying, "and then you two will dance together on the dance floor. At the end of the night, fireworks will go off! So, what do you think?"

Leo nodded, a smile forming on his lips. "That sounds wonderful, Father. I'm excited to celebrate our achievements."

The king’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction. 

"That's good to hear, because the party will be happening in two days. Work with Miss Auriella on dancing. I wouldn't want her to embarrass herself or the crown."

Leo nodded in understanding. "I will do as you ask, Father. Good day," he said, bowing respectfully before leaving the office.

The king watched his son leave, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. Everything is going according to plan.

Back in the drawing room, the designer had finally managed to sketch out a rough design based on Auriella’s preferences. The result was a far cry from the frilly dresses the king had chosen.

The designer glanced at Auriella, clearly nervous. "This is… certainly a dress," she said, unsure how else to describe it.

Auriella looked over the design and nodded approvingly. "Can you do it?" she asked, her tone leaving no room for doubt.

"Of course! This shouldn’t take too long. I can have it and the other accessories ready by tomorrow," the designer said, clearly eager to please as she stood to leave.

As she opened the door, she almost collided with Leo, who was just about to enter. "Oh, Your Highness! Please excuse me!" she said hurriedly, bowing before scurrying off to begin her work.

Leo watched her go with a bemused expression. "Well, that was fast. I expected you to give up and just come in your armor anyway," he said, turning to Auriella.

She sighed, rubbing her temples. "Your father has awful taste in dresses, is all I'll say. I had to get creative, which was such a pain."

Leo chuckled as he sat next to her. "Well, you’ll have even more reason for a headache now. Father asked me to give you dancing lessons."

Auriella shot him a sharp look. "I can dance just fine, thank you."

"Oh? Care to demonstrate your skills then?" Leo challenged, standing up and offering her his hand.

She accepted his hand with a smirk, rising from the couch. He led her to the open space in the room, and they began to dance, their movements perfectly synchronized. 

She moved with grace and precision, her steps light and confident. Not once did she falter or step on his toes.

As they finished, Leo looked at her in awe. "You truly are great at everything you do, aren’t you?"

"Naturally," she replied with a sly smile.

Leo shook his head, still impressed. "Anyway, I’ve been told the party is in two days, so you’ll have to stay here for the time being to go over the rehearsals."

Auriella groaned. "Must I?"

He nodded, giving her an apologetic look. "I’m afraid so."

She sighed dramatically. “Is there a room prepared for me to stay in, at least?” 

Leo nodded. “Follow me.”