Chapter 85

On the night of the Second Ball, Charlotte helped me add the finishing touches to my costume.

My sheer butterfly wings hung close to my shoulders, not extending too far, just enough to show. My hair was up and mostly hidden under a sea of brightly colored flowers. My mask covered most of my face, leaving only my mouth and chin exposed.

Looking in the mirror, I barely recognized myself. I doubted anyone else would either. Despite what he said, I even had my doubts about Nicholas.

Charlotte handed me my gloves one by one as I slid them on.

“Tonight, you can be anyone,” she said.

No one would know me. No one would know that I’m the outsider tonight. I would simply be part of the group.

I nodded, unsure what to say. I didn’t know how that made me feel. I wasn’t ashamed of who I was, but I had always wondered what it would feel like to belong.

As I finished getting ready, Elva, in her wolf costume, ran circles around the bedroom. She gave a little growl at the Nanny and then at Mark, who both pretended to be intimidated.

Mark himself was looking dapper tonight, wearing a crisp tuxedo with Prince Nicholas’s insignia on the cuff. He would be attending the ball himself, alongside the nanny, to help keep an eye on Elva.

Elva and I were supposed to pretend we didn’t know each other. If we spent too much time together, everyone in the ballroom would be able to guess my identity simply from Elva’s presence.

I bent down to give Elva a hug. It would hurt me to have to pretend not to know her, though I maintained to keep an eye on her myself. If she needed me, I would be there in an instant, rules of the event be damned.

Elva didn’t seem to mind so much. She hugged me tightly, her lanky arms around my neck. “Goodbye, stranger Mommy.” Then she giggled.

I laughed too, just a little. “If you need anything tonight…”

“Oh, Mommy,” she said, and patted my arm, like I had done so many times with her. “Everything will be alright.”

I nodded. She was right of course. She was in very good hands, and I didn’t need to worry.

But worrying about Elva was easier than worrying about myself. I had no idea what to expect tonight.

Elva, Mark, and the nanny went down to the ballroom first. After waiting a few minutes, I followed in their path.

“Good luck tonight,” Charlotte said at the doorway.

Down in the ballroom, we weren’t formally announced this time, to maintain the anonymity. Instead, all of the candidates simply met at the top of the stair and took our turns descending one by one.

I marveled at the beautiful costumes. Beautiful colors, silks, satins, furs, and feathers wrapped around the girls, dressing them as various animals and even a dragon.

Some were more successful at hiding their wearers than others. Olivia, for instance, had not covered her blonde hair, revealing her as the peacock.

Lilliana, likewise, had done the bare minimum to hide her identity. She wore a simple black mask that covered her eyes. The rest of her dress was a shimmering white. She told everyone she was a swan, but I didn’t see it. She hadn’t even included feathers in her outfit.

The dragon, meanwhile, was a mystery, her face completely covered. Susie was also well-hidden, and I might have questioned who she was had I not known of her disguise ahead of time.

When it was my turn, I came down the staircase. Many people turned to watch me, including two of the three princes.

The princes were easy to find among the crowd. They wore striking tuxedos in different colors. Nicholas’s was a deep emerald green. Julian’s was a dark blue. Joyce’s was a rich violet. Though they each wore an elaborate golden mask, they were easy to recognize and differentiate.

Nicholas held my gaze the longest.

He finally glanced away when a girl tugged on his arm. The music started and she pulled him toward the dance floor.

It seemed that anonymity made everyone feel a bit bolder than usual tonight.

Myself included.

I stopped by the drink table to grab a flute of champagne. It was easier to lose myself with a hint of alcohol in the system. Yet before I could even take a sip, I looked out at the dance floor once more and forgot the drink entirely.

The girl who was dancing with Nicholas had both hands on his chest and was rubbing them up to his shoulders with an unwelcome familiarity that made my skin crawl.

I lowered my drink back to the table and then stormed across the room.

“Excuse me,” I said, when I was close enough to them. “Do you mind if I cut in?”

“Yes,” snapped the girl.

Nicholas searched my face. Then, he reached up, grabbed the girl’s wrists and pulled her hands away from his chest.

She huffed in annoyance but didn’t argue. She glared at me as she walked away.

Nicholas held out his hand to me, and I placed mine in his.

“I feel as if I know you,” he said. His deadpan expression made it difficult to tell if he was teasing or not. I suspected he was, however. He, of course, knew everyone here.

But did he know specifically who I was? That was the question.

I placed one hand on his shoulder. His free hand sat comfortably on my waist. Together, we began to move with the music. We glided over the floor as if a single body, a single heart.

Without the interference of our real-life problems, being with Nicholas was as easy as breathing. Here, where we could pretend to be other people, nothing stood in the way of indulging in this fantasy.

“You dance very well, my lady,” Nicholas said.

“It helps to have an excellent partner,” I replied.

Eventually, Nicholas led our dance out onto the balcony, where we were alone. Slowly, he stopped turning, ending the dance. He did not move away, however, keeping his hand on my hip and the other clutching mine.

I didn’t move away either.

What happens now? My mind whispered, as my heart took flight in my chest.

A bolder woman would say something flirty, and well, I could be anyone tonight.

“You look handsome in the starlight, my prince.”

He smiled, wider than usual, and my knees felt weak.

“Thank you, my lady, but it is your beauty that has stolen me away. This is a lovely dress, but I suspect the woman underneath is even more stunning.”

Nicholas released my hand to bring his own to my face. Gently, he traced my cheek along the edge of my mask.

Then, he leaned forward.

My breath caught in my throat. He came closer and closer. I felt his hot breath on my skin.

My eyes fluttered closed. I parted my lips.

I desperately wanted him to close the distance and kiss me. The very thrill of the near possibility had me buzzing out of my skin.

Tonight was a night of magic. Anything felt possible. Even this. Maybe especially this.

His lips brushed mine and I gasped.

It was the barest press, but it made my heart clench.

Then, however, a hint of panic sneaked in. He didn’t perhaps think I was someone else, did he? With my mask covering most of my face, and my hair hidden, he might not have known it was actually me.

But then he said, voice breathy and soft, “Piper.”

And I wanted him to kiss me again.