I flew down the corridor as if on wings, bursting into the restroom. Leaning against the wall, I gulped for air. Pressing my hands to my burning cheeks, I closed my eyes. My hands were trembling. I caught my breath and glanced into the mirror. Things weren’t as bad as they could’ve been. My face was flushed, but that would fade, and my hair was a bit mussed. With a simple household spell, I tidied my locks. Now, the main thing was to calm down.
But that proved to be the hardest part. My heartbeat refused to slow, and the image of that monster still loomed before my eyes.
Eventually, my breathing steadied. I took another look at my reflection and decided I had my emotions under control. Straightening my shoulders, I headed back with a light, gliding step. Near the ballroom, I encountered a striking crowd of curious guests, gasping and speculating about the magical explosion that had shattered the balcony doors. I slipped past them quickly and entered the hall.
The clamor of the ball hit me instantly—blinding lights, vibrant colors of the guests’ attire, and the sparkle of their jewelry.
I barely had a chance to look around before Julien, my current escort, approached me, speaking rapidly.
“Belle, I’ve been looking for you! The dance is about to start, and you were nowhere to be found. I got worried.”
“Everything’s fine,” I said reassuringly. If only someone could reassure me! “I got held up in the corridor. There’s such a crowd out there, it was hard to get through…”
“Ah, yes… Quite curious what happened out there, don’t you think?”
I nodded nervously and looked away, but my partner helpfully continued.
“I’ll definitely find out and let you know.”
“I’d appreciate that,” I said, offering Julien a distracted smile.
The musicians struck up a lively dance, cutting off any chance for further awkward conversation. I caught Ryan’s sharp gaze—he seemed to be looking for his troublesome little sister—and gave him a nod. He studied me for a moment, narrowing his eyes slightly, before turning back to his companion. I also spotted Aunt Felicia, but she was so engrossed in conversation with the Marchioness de Lille that she didn’t seem to have noticed my absence.
Things seemed to be going not so badly, but my emotions were in turmoil. It felt like I could breathe a sigh of relief and forget this fiasco, yet my intuition screamed with unease, warning me of danger. Sure, it warned me, but if only it could tell me what to do next! What good was this gut feeling if it only stirred anxiety without offering a way out or any concrete solution?
The dance had barely ended when my new acquaintance appeared beside Julien and me. Seeing him, I couldn’t help but flinch.
Julien noticed and gave me a questioning look. I forced a carefree smile.
What did this lunatic want now?!
The young man, whose name I still didn’t know, brazenly addressed my escort.
“Sir…”
“Julien de Maud,” the marquis supplied.
The stranger raised an eyebrow in surprise, seemingly doubting for a split second that this polished young man shared a name with a savory mushroom dish. But the next moment, deciding it didn’t matter, he continued.
“Sir Julien, the next dance has been promised to me, so I apologize for interrupting your engaging conversation.”
I was so thrown off by his audacity and outright lie that I didn’t even protest.
Julien obediently handed over my arm to this scoundrel and left us. The man roughly grabbed my elbow, as if afraid I’d bolt. And he wasn’t wrong to worry—I was overwhelmed by the urge to do just that. But then anger surged through me, snapping me back to reality.
“What do you think you’re doing?!” I hissed.
“I’m not doing any more than you’ve done,” he shot back through gritted teeth, dragging me across the hall. “It’s awfully stuffy in here, don’t you think? You keep going pale, then flushing. You clearly need some fresh air!”
I had to comply—if I started resisting in front of all the guests, it would cause a scene. But I didn’t stop trying to figure out his intentions.
“What do you want?”
“To talk to you.”
“Can’t we do that here? Do you have to drag me around like a horse?”
“Then stop resisting like one. The atmosphere of a ball isn’t conducive to an honest conversation. And for you, above all, it’s important that no one knows about our… dramatic introduction.”
We wove through couples forming for the next dance, whispering like conspirators.
“But I promised the next dance to another partner! It’s incredibly rude to skip it without an explanation!”
“No big deal. Just say you felt unwell.”
“Why should I feel unwell?”
“You ladies seem to feel unwell quite often…”
“That’s an odd opinion you have of our health…”
“Why odd? Two of you have already fallen into my hands today. And the evening’s just getting started…”
I glanced at him sideways. He was undeniably handsome. Tall, tanned, not pale and delicate like the boys my age. I could see why girls might fall for him. Literally, right into his hands. But I said something else entirely.
“Seems like they felt unwell because of your presence. And I completely understand why!”