I smiled down at them, flicked the reins, and Pumpkin and I took off for the ball.
chapter thirteen
The palace was already bustling with people when I arrived. The gardens had been closed off to the public for the event, but the lanterns within the grounds had all been lit, illuminating the beautiful greenery in a whimsical light. Dazzling carriages lined every walkway for miles down the road, and the closer I got, the bigger the knot in my stomach became. Gloriously dressed young girls stepped out of their carriages, escorted by their parents and chaperones, each one more glamorous than the last. I peeked down inside my cloak, comparing my dress, and felt a wash of nerves rush over me.Would I stick out too much? Or worse yet, would they even let me inside?My bare toes brushed against Pumpkin’s soft hairs as my thoughts spiraled. I hadn’t been able to solve the dilemma of acquiring shoes, but the dress touched the floor when I stood, so I was hopeful that no one would notice my lack of footwear. If they did notice, then… I suppose we’d just cross that bridge if we arrived to it.
As I drew closer to the entrance, the crowd became too thick for me to pass through on Pumpkin. Without much other option, I pulled the mare over to a line of ornamental trees and tied her off there. I didn’t have a coachman to look after her, but I trusted no one would be foolish enough to try to steal a horse in the king’s front yard. With Pumpkin taken care of, I directed my gaze to the entrance, my invitation clutched tightly in my hand. I had seen the palace maybe a thousand times throughout my life, but I had never been inside it. The beautiful structure suddenly appeared far more daunting than ever before. I gulped as I imagined how difficult it might be to find a single office behind those massive walls. A feeling of uncertainty tapped at my mind, but I shoved it aside.
I can do this…
One foot after the other, I approached the brilliantly glowing entrance, alight with ornate lanterns and candles. Freshly cut flowers lined the pathway to the entrance, arranged in polished brass vases. I took a moment to appreciate the display, then frowned when I realized they hadn’t trimmed the leaves at the base of the stem.Those won’t last very long…My attention turned back to the path as I scolded myself for critiquing the servants’ hard work.There would be plenty of time for that later… Assuming tonight goes as planned.
It was beyond intimidating to attend such an event alone, but at least I didn’t have any escorts to sneak away from. It was actually a good thing that Sapphira didn’t want me to attend, otherwise I would have been stuck under her watchful eye the entire evening. As I grew closer to the line of guests awaiting entry, the tense feeling in my stomach worsened. My hand brushed against the soft rose in my hair, stroking the velvety petals with a gentle touch, and a sense of calm washed over me, easing the nerves.At least I’m not truly alone…
As I lined up behind a richly dressed family, my fingers lowered to pet across the invitation in my other palm. With everything going on, I had nearly forgotten the reason I could attend in the first place. Someone here had gifted me this invitation.A new rush of nerves filled me as my gaze flicked to all the young gentlemen who filled the path. A few of them had flowers pinned to their jackets, but none adorned a magenta zinnia.He must not have arrived yet, or perhaps he’s already inside.I breathed a small sigh of relief at the knowledge that my correspondent wasn’t visible yet. There were only so many anxieties I could handle at a time, and meeting the man who had been a nameless, mud-covered face in my mind for weeks was a bit more than I could handle currently. Besides, even if I did notice him, I couldn’t reveal myself until my application had been switched. As long as Sapphira’s fake document remained behind those walls, he could never know who I truly am. Although, I suppose he wouldn’t be able to recognize me as long as I was wearing this dress…
My thoughts distracted me until I approached the front of the line. I stood frozen for a moment as the steward eyed me down with an outstretched hand.
“Invitation, madam?” The steward’s white-gloved hand hovered expectantly in the air.
“Oh, of course.” I attempted to sound graceful, but still bumbled a little as I handed him the paper. I cringed as he accepted it, noticing that it was now dampened from my nervously sweating palms.
Thankfully, the steward didn’t seem to notice the dampness. Instead, he turned the invite over in his hands once to inspect it, then gave me a friendly smile. “Please enjoy your evening.” He gestured for me to enter and the guards in front of me parted ways in unison.
I bid him a proper thank you, then walked past the statuesque guards. My heart pounded violently in my chest as I climbed the stone steps that led almost ominously to the palace doors.This was real. I was really about to attend a royal ball by myself. I clutched my cloak, subconsciously trying to shield prying eyes from my dress.Would people laugh at me? What if my garden friend really was here? What was he expecting to see from me?My stomach twisted into knots as I took slow, deliberate breaths.
You can do this, Kalina. This is the time to be brave.
I stepped through the ornate doors and was instantly directed to the ballroom by a stout footman. I followed the various servants, who guided me with stiff steps, wondering if they noticed the lack of clicking on the marble floor from my uncovered feet. No one I encountered seemed to bear any mind to my wardrobe, so I relaxed at the notion that I had at least successfully made it inside. My cloak fully covered my dress, but it was in rather shabby shape. Despite the wool cloak being a little worn, I much preferred to keep it on than to flaunt my homemade dress yet. When I was deposited at the entrance to the ball room, I noticed a short line of guests stood in front of a massive set of regal doors.
“May I take you cloak, madam?” A cheery-faced footman stretched out his hand to me and I stiffened.
My focus shifted over to the group in front of me as they stepped forward to take their turn entering. The doors swung open onto a grand staircase, allowing the entire crowd to ogle them as they entered the ball. I gulped nervously and looked back at the footman. He was still smiling at me, and I knew I couldn’t simply refuse his offer—no matter how badly I wanted to hide under the safety of my cloak.
I forced a smile. “Yes, that would be lovely, thank you.” I turned so he could remove the cloak from my shoulders.
Once the garment slipped off me, my bare shoulders were engulfed by the warm palace air. I silently stepped forward to the ballroom, not risking a glance back at the footman. If he showed even an ounce of distaste toward my attire, I likely would have turned and ran. My feet carried me almost ghostly over to the towering doors. I paused in front of them, feeling entirely petrified. They swung open and the light of the ballroom was almost overwhelming. I blinked against the sparkling glow before steadying my nervous legs.
I held my breath and stepped forward onto the steps, and the entire room went silent.
“Look alive, son,” the king whispered, nudging me in the ribs.
Another yawn slowly crept over me as I watched the hundredth maiden walk down the marble stairs. My legs twitched uncomfortably from being cooped up in the box seat all evening. All the young ladies had certainly been pretty, but I wanted to know more than what they looked like. Unfortunately, the first part of the evening was reserved for me to gawk at everyone from my elevated throne. My seat gave an excellent view of the ballroom. Candles twinkled against crystal fixtures and jeweled chandeliers. The white marble floors had been polished so brightly that they caught and reflected all the light around them. The room was an almost dizzying display of dancing light and color, and it made it difficult to focus in on anyone’s particular expressions or features. That might have been the reason why everyone seemed so attractive so far… It was also a time for them to stare at me and was, overall, the shallowest part of the evening. The amount of winks and flirtatious hair flips I had endured so far was nothing short of exhausting, but sadly, there was no avoiding it.
My stomach growled greedily as I caught a whiff of the fresh cream pastries that had been laid out on the serving tables. My eyes focused hungrily on the tantalizing sweets, and Father nudged me again to adjust my eyes back to the stairs. I sighed, trying my best to ignore my sweet cravings. It wouldn’t be very dignified for a prince to indulge in a messy cream puff in the midst of his ball, despite how unfair the notion seemed.
I propped my arm up on my throne, resting my chin in my palm as I watched the next family cascade down the steps. Their daughter fluttered her lashes at me from across the room, and I fought the urge to yawn again. It couldn’t be much longer before the dancing began, so I only had to endure the boredom a little while longer.
Despite my self-encouragement, I felt my eyes drift shut for a few moments. It felt so soothing to let them rest, so I let them stay shut for a moment longer, deciding it was worth the risk of Father’s chastising. I might have even dozed off, but the room suddenly quieted. The lack of sound relaxed me even more for a moment before I recognized the oddness of it. When I opened my eyes, I first looked at Father, wondering if he held the same confusion from the lack of chatter. However, when I looked at him, his eyes were still fixated on the stairway.
“Wow…” he breathed, his eyes widening.
I raised a brow, not sure what could have spurred such a reaction from him. Wanting to know for myself, I turned my attention to the stairway to take-in whatever sight had enthralled my father. But I wasn’t ready for what I saw…
I felt a catch in my chest, and my mind filled with awe. “Oh…”
Father cast me a smug side-look, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the maiden who had stolen the breath of the entire room. Never in my life had I seen such a dress. It was beyond astounding, but I didn’t recognize the girl who wore it. It was impossible to make out all the details of her face from this distance, but no one else seemed to recognize her, either. Strangely, she was entirely unaccompanied, but that only made her glowing presence stand out more. She looked downward into the crowd with a shyer posture than I would have expected. It was almost as if she didn’t realize she had captivated the entire room…
I knew exactly who stood on those stairs... I had never seen her face before, but we had spoken enough for me to recognize her presence when I felt it. No one else could send my heart racing like that.