Seize the Day

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Five

The ballroom was several times larger than the banquet hall on the second floor. I had only entered it twice when Clarice failed to teach me how to dance. But this… This…

It was spectacular and terrifying all at once.

Hundreds of people of all shapes and sizes milled about the lavish room. Women in vibrant gowns and dark, demure colors passed by me. And I could only gawk like an idiot at their beauty. Many of them were foreign, but others were from Aria. I spotted women from the northern countries dressed in black and purple. The men were dressed in various styles of suits, though the women far outshined them.

My shock dimmed when I saw Frilly; she was wearing her usual magenta shade of dress. Was it even legal to have a dress that pink? I cringed as she spun in the arms of a nobleman. I did not want to deal with that woman after what we had been through.

The chandeliers above lit the marble flooring with a decadent glow, while the torches on the wall provided light for the musicians in the back of the room. A snack table was provided near the front as usual. This time, however, there were no meal tables. I reminded myself that this wasn’t a banquet. This was a ball.

Clarice grabbed my arm and waltzed me into the ballroom like the world didn’t matter. “Ooo.” Her eyes traveled to a young man staring placidly back at her. “Hey, Lannie,” she whispered over my shoulder. “Since they haven’t announced the marriage yet, it wouldn’t hurt to dance with these men, right?”

“I wouldn’t push your mother, Clarice. She’s capable of dangerous things.” Like murdering the entire royal family, I didn’t say. I wanted greatly to tell her about Odelia and Cicero, but the words wouldn’t come. She wouldn’t believe me, anyway. The only thing I could do was wait for a chance to talk with Philippa or Titus.

“But this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!” Clarice begged, her emerald eyes wide with anticipation.

Who was I? Her mother? She was actually asking if she could dance with men when she was unofficially engaged to Titus. I had a mind to tell her “yes” just to tick Odelia off, but then I realized that—if we did survive tonight—approving Clarice’s dance would be suicide. I steered her to a relatively quiet alcove of the ballroom. “How about we make a rule?” I waited until I had her full attention. “You are only to dance with men who look above twenty-seven.”

Her mouth dropped. “What? Twenty-seven? That’s something only you would do!”

“No I wouldn't!” I gripped the skirt of my dress to keep from slapping her. “As I’ve been told, it’s common courtesy for the duchess’ daughter to dance with the guests. But with younger men, you dance inappropriately. As your tutor, I say that you are only to dance with older men.”

Clarice’s cheeks reddened. “I do not dance inappropriately!”

“From the way I see it, yes you do.”

“Well, then you’re blind,” she seethed.

“Not blind enough to see through your obvious indecencies!”

Clarice clenched her fists together. “Say that again and I’ll—”

“Good evening, ladies.” A dashing young man stopped in front of us and bowed, interrupting the possibility of a murderous battle.

Broken from her trance of anger, Clarice curtsied. I hurried to follow suit; with the considerable amount of layers in my dress, curtsying was difficult. I had a mind to take a knife from one of the tables and shear the layers off, but that would probably be highly unladylike.