“Is it anything like what you expected?” Tiffany asked. It had gotten dark outside by now and the ball was in full swing. The princess looked at her reflection in the windows, that reached all the way up to the high ceiling of the ballroom, to see if her hair piece was still in place. To her relief, she found everything where it belonged. It wasn’t as if she’d spent the last three hours dancing wildly. No, instead of having fun, she had spoken to every single one of her guests to make sure they were having a good time. Tiffany hadn’t even had anything to eat or drink since the party started. And, because Noah was meant to stay within one yard of Tiffany at all times, she hadn’t, either.

Deep in thought, the squire gazed at the sky blue ceiling, which had adorable little cotton ball clouds painted on it. “Not exactly,” she said carefully. She had already looked at all of Tiffany’s family members that hung from the walls in their gilded frames, but not yet at Tiffany herself. “It’s much more… boring.”

The princess laughed. “You’re right, it’s been a complete drag so far, but now that this chore is done we can finally do something fun.”

The musicians, who had been filling the ballroom with music all night, finally started a new piece. It was up tempo, cheerful, and the flute player took the center of the small stage.

“Such as?”

“Let’s dance,” Tiffany said as she grabbed Noah’s hand and pulled her towards the dancefloor.

“But, but! Eu— the prince!”

“I haven’t seen him all night,” Tiffany said. She took Noah’s other hand, which she placed on her hip and laid her own hand on Noah’s shoulder.

“But your highness, I have no idea… I’ve never danced before.”

“Never?” Tiffany frowned, but switched their hands quickly; Noah’s hand on her shoulder and her hand on Noah’s hip. “Here, follow my lead.”

Now, it was Noah who frowned, leaving Tiffany at the terrified look on her face. Before the squire could come up with an excuse, the princess was twirling her across the dancefloor. Crystals jingled on the chandeliers hanging over their heads, that came to life by the dozens of dancers taking to the music.

“Step forward, slide, step to the left, slide, step backward, step over your right. See? Easy peasy.”

“What if I step on your foot?” Noah asked, as the angry duchess she just bumped into glowered at her before she caught sight of the princess.

“Just don’t look down.”

“What if somebody asks?” Noah whispered into Tiffany’s ear.

“I’ll tell them I was bored. Not a single lie there,” Tiffany mumbled back. “And besides, at this kind of party it’s very normal for the ladies to not dance with their husband or fiancé. As long as they’re having fun.”

“But only after you have to bore yourself to death talking to all those other people?”

“Exactly.” Tiffany didn’t give a peep when Noah stood on her foot.

“My apologies.”

“It’s alright,” the princess reassured her as she spun Noah in a pirouette. “I mean, for a first time, you’re doing fantastic.”

“Thank you. Actually, this is pretty fun.”

Tiffany chuckled. “Did I really teach you something you like and that you’re good at? Who would have thought?”

“Well, we can’t all master a trade on our first try. And besides, I’m going to be a knight anyway, what would I need all those big words for?”

When the piece of music was done with and the flute player blew out his final note, the two let go, stepped back, and made a deep bow to one another.

“There, what would you like to do?” Tiffany asked.

Noah opened her mouth to speak but before she could even utter a word, she was interrupted by the rumbling of her own stomach.

“The buffet?”

Noah looked at Tiffany guiltily and nodded. The princess patted her shoulder, where she kept her hand as she led Noah to the buffet table under the paintings on the other end of the ballroom. The table was shrouded in dark red velvet and was so filled with food that the brims of the dishes hung over the edge. Tiffany gave Noah a plate and a fork, but didn’t take any for herself.

“Don’t you want anything to eat?”

“No,” Tiffany said dismissively. “Can’t have my corset bursting open later on. You go on ahead and eat, I’m going for a walk.”

Noah raised a confused eyebrow. “But, wasn’t I supposed to stay near you?”

“I’ll be fine, Noah. All those empty suits of armour are issued with a sword, and thanks to you, I know how to use them.

The squire nodded, but wasn’t fully convinced. And yet, she found she couldn’t say ‘no’ to the princess. “Alright. If you say so.”

“I’ll be back before you know it,” Tiffany said as she gave Noah’s shoulder one last squeeze, before leaving the ballroom to wander around the hallways of the castle.

Black and white checkered marble floors had been turned into mirrors; that’s how clean they were. There wasn’t a single speck of dust to be found in the castle, whenever there were guests.

The hallways were an oasis of peace compared to the ballroom. Here, she only heard the clacking of her shoes against the floor and the rustling of her own dress.

“Tread lightly, now, someone might hear us,” she heard someone hiss from where they were hidden away in a corner.”

“Oh come now, who’ll hear us? Everyone’s partying inside,” another voice said, and it was quiet again.

But Tiffany had heard them. And if Tiffany was anything, it was curious. Quietly, she sneaked further into the hallway, to where the voices came from. She heard her heartbeat in her ears when she finally gathered the courage to peek around the corner.

“Eugene?!”