Rocío felt the breeze on her face, running through her hair and giving her fresh crisp air to breathe. She didn’t know how long she’d been standing there, but it had been long enough that her fingertips burned in the cold spring air. Her eyes had already adjusted to the darkness of the evening, and she began to hug herself to keep warm. She still wasn’t ready to go back in, she couldn’t force herself to face her father just yet. Ever since Renata’s passing, he’d kept his distance, staying clear of her and practically never looking her in the eyes, not even during family dinners, he didn’t even dance with her at her own debut ball. He wasn’t even there.

Rocío took a deep breath, feeling the cold enter her lungs and sober her up from her messy thoughts. She was glad no one had interrupted her after the man had left, even her friends had known to give her space. She found the contrast of her solemn retreat to the party behind the doors was rather comedic, but she didn’t laugh. 

“Rocío, what are you doing here all by yourself?” 

Rocío jumped at the voice of her sister. She turned, looking as if she’d been caught with her hand in the cookie jar, ashamed. “E-Elena,” she stuttered. “Shouldn’t you be inside?”

Elena frowned as she crossed her arms over her chest. “I could ask you the same thing…” Then her frown softened and so did her voice as she asked, “Is everything alright?” 

Rocío gulped and nodded, fixing her dress to soothe herself. “Of course, is there any reason it shouldn’t be?” She tilted her head and raised an eyebrow.

Her sister sighed. “No…are you still feeling tired?”

Rocío gave a bashful half-laugh. “Well, yes…”

Elena stepped towards her and took a hold of her arm, pulling her towards the ballroom. “Well, you should come back in. First, it’s horribly cold out here and you could catch a cold if you stay out any longer. Second, you promised you’d stay at my debut ball the whole night.”

Rocío wrapped her arm around her sister’s and nodded. “Very well, let’s head inside,” she agreed, “And I will keep my promise, I just stepped out for fresh air. That’s all, I promise.”

“Perfect!” Elena’s face immediately lit up with mischief. “Because you won’t believe who I saw!” She squealed in delight.

Rocío knew her sister too well when she squealed in such a manner, it had to be some young man on her mind. “Who did you see?” She asked more out of duty than curiosity.

“I mean,” Elena pouted her lips, “I don’t exactly know who he is…” She stopped just as they entered the ballroom again, taking Rocío’s hands and squeezing them. 

“Then?” Rocío felt the warmth of the ballroom seep into her body, caressing her ice-cold skin and making her loosen her stiff posture. The music flooded into her ears almost immediately and so did the sound of the chatter around them. Still, she preferred the silence of the spring night beyond the balcony doors.

“Oh, he’s divine Rosie,” Elena sighed romantically, “you must see him!” She gushed. Elena pulled Rocío through the crowd, making sure to avoid the dancefloor that was crowded with couples.

Rocío stopped dead in her tracks, pulling back Elena abruptly. “Elena,” Rocío sighed, “I’m not keen on meeting men right now.” Her free hand lifted to pinch the bridge of her nose.

“Rocío, I promise you, this is different, all I want is for you to see him, we might not be able to actually meet him because it would probably be hard for us to be introduced. But trust me! He has the most dreamy eyes.” Elena held her hands to her heart as she stared at the ceiling. “And he’s tall, he’s got gorgeous wavy dark hair to his shoulders, the most beautiful eyes you’ve ever seen, and–” she looked back at Rocío with hearts in her eyes, “–he’s a knight!” She all but squealed.

“Elena, you must behave, this is unbecoming of a lady who has just debuted,” Rocío scolded as she crossed her arms over her chest. “What would people think if they heard you talking like that?”

Elena rolled her eyes. “Yeah, whatever, mother,” she groaned. “Just come look at him, it’s all I ask of you!” Her blue eyes began to plead. Rocío didn’t know how her sister managed to look like a cute puppy when she begged with her big blue eyes.

Rocío sighed in defeat and followed her sister to the northern side of the ballroom where there were a few groups of men scattered about talking amongst one another. She caught sight of her brother talking to a man a little taller than him who was dressed in the dark green royal knights’ uniform and was leaning against the wall next to the doors of another balcony quite leisurely, with a drink in his hand. She couldn’t see the man’s face but looking at the smile on her brother’s face she knew he must’ve been his friend. It was nice to see her brother talking to his fellow knights.

“This is perfect!” Elena squeaked, stopping in her tracks once more.

Rocío turned to her with a frown on her face. “What is?”

“Santi is acquainted with him! He can introduce us!” She couldn’t help but do a quick happy dance.

Rocío’s eyes grew as she shot her head back to her brother and his companion. “No, no I agreed to see him, not meet him.”

Elena groaned. “Oh Rocío, can’t you just be fun for once? You’re always so boring!” She huffed, “I’m not asking you to marry him! We are just going to introduce ourselves, that’s all. Where’s the harm in that?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Now come on!” She fumed.

“You said he’s handsome, why don’t you go alone, that way his eyes are solely on you,” Rocío suggested, doing her very best to avoid greeting unknown men.

“No,” she scoffed, “he’s clearly older than me, so I think he’d be perfect for you.”

“Seriously, Elena? This is what your goal was? To set me up with some man?”

Elena pouted her lips as she avoided her sister’s gaze. 

Rocío gave her sister an even look. “I told you, I’m not interested in courting anyone.”

Her younger sister glared at her, beautiful blue eyes turning into icicles. “You’re coming with me, and that’s final.”

Against her will, Rocío was pulled towards her brother and the other man. Oh how she dreaded meeting new people. She could swear that Elena was doing this under their mother’s request, or maybe it was just a plan Elena had masterminded all on her own…she couldn’t exactly put it past her with how mischievous she could be.