The ballroom shimmered like something from a dream, though for you, it was anything but. The chandeliers above glittered with thousands of crystals, light bouncing like captive stars across polished marble floors. The air hummed with the soft sweep of violins, the chatter of courtiers, and the occasional peel of laughter too sharp to be genuine.

Everywhere you looked: nobles, diplomats, ladies draped in silks the colors of spring blossoms. And in the center of it all, you.