XII
Something Y/N had not considered when she first devised her plan was how she was going to sneak out of the Healer's quarters unnoticed. A formal gown wasn't exactly normal attire for someone like her. And the mask covering her face made it all the more obvious where she was going.
She and Kent had agreed to first meet in the garden, and then they would make their way to the ballroom, where the party was in full swing by now.
It was somewhere around 8. She felt a little awkward as she walked there.
The last time she and Kent had spoken, it had been painfully awkward.
She never thought she would ever dread seeing him. More than anything, she felt guilty.
She stood by the window next to her room, waiting for him to arrive.
Her gown flowed in the cool wind, and she stood there enjoying the chirping of the crickets.
It was peaceful here. She tried to soak it in as much as possible since she knew it would likely be quite loud in the actual ballroom.
She closed her eyes to bathe in the crisp air and quiet.
"Are you lost, my lady?"
Her eyes shot open, and she came face-to-face with one of the palace guards. She froze. She had seen him from time to time around the palace, and he was there the day she walked in on Kent sparring.
He squinted his eyes at her. "Are you alright?"
Y/N gulped. Surely this man didn't recognize her, did he? He likely thought she had just wandered off and gotten lost.
Y/N cleared her throat. "Yes, I am fine. I just wanted to get some fresh air was all. It's terribly stuffy in there."
The man still seemed a little unconvinced. "You are quite a ways away from the ballroom. Do you need any help finding your way back? I could fetch a servant to help you."
Y/N waved him off. "No, no, I'm quite alright. I know my way back well enough. You don't need to worry about me."
"Alright... do try to get inside quickly, it is such a cold night, and we wouldn't want a noble lady like you getting sick."
Y/N internally laughed. Her? A noble lady? What a joke. If he actually knew who she was, he would be speaking to her a lot differently.
"Yes, of course, thank you, my good sir."
The man bowed his head at her and walked off.
Y/N let out a sigh of relief. Looks like her disguise worked quite well.
Although the true test would be if any of the people she worked with recognized her.
But she hopefully wouldn't run into them for the whole night.
She really only needed to worry if Lennox noticed her.
After his declaration the night before, she knew she would be in deep water if he did.
Kent soon arrived in the garden and began guiding her to the ballroom in silence. Y/N bit her lip. God, the tension was killing her. What was she even supposed to say? That she was sorry? That she didn't actually feel that way about the soulmate bond?
Right as that thought popped into her head, she felt a sharp pain in the nape of her neck. She let out a gasp, and Kent turned around to check on her.
"Are you okay?" he asked, concern written all over his face.
A groan escaped Y/N's lips, and she had to cover her mouth with her hand to bite back a scream. There was that wave of warmth and pain all over again. While it hadn't been as bad as when she wasn't on any painkillers, the pain was still noticeable.
"My lady! Are you alright!?" Kent asked more frantically.
Not wanting to startle him, she tried her best to stand up straight and plaster a smile on her face. "My lady? Yes. Period cramps."
Kent's face changed from worried to embarrassed in a split second. "Oh, sorry. Can I get you anything to help?"
Y/N shook her head. "No, I'll be alright. I took pain medication not too long ago, looks like it still hasn't fully kicked in."
Kent gently grasped both of her hands in his. "You're sure?"
Y/N smiled up at him. "Positive. I think out of the two of us, I'm the more knowledgeable one here."
Kent smiled down at her. "Ah, yes, how could I forget. I'm speaking to an expert."
They both stayed like that for a while. Soaking in the others' presence. In the distance, you could hear the music and celebration taking place. But here in this quiet corridor, the only sound was of two hearts beating fiercely.
"I apologize if this is a bit direct, but have you... You know, experienced any pain or soreness today?"
Y/N paused. "N-No, I haven't. Perhaps I'm just a late bloomer. Besides, the night is still young, right? "
"Yes, it definitely is." Kent agreed.
A beat of silence passed between them.
"Well, are we going to break and enter or what?" Y/N joked.
"Please don't break anything."
"I'll try my best!"
——— ??ˋ ? ?ˊ? ———
The ballroom was breathtaking. All the pillars and walls were dripping in crimson and gold.
The floor was cleaned to perfection so that Y/N could see her reflection in it.
All around her, people were draped in the finest silks and blinding jewelry.
Some were engrossed in what Y/N could only assume was gossip on the sidelines of the dance floor, others were helping themselves to the food laid out on a buffet table, and the rest were enjoying themselves dancing.
Y/N pinched herself. "Calm down, this is what you wanted. You can do this."
Her eyes scanned the room for any friendly-looking faces, but came up with nothing. Considering most of people's faces were hidden beneath their masks, she was just going to have to find someone sticking near the walls and hope that they were friendly enough.
She chose to stand next to one of the pillars to calm her nerves.
If by any chance she got caught, she didn't want to imagine how much trouble she would get in.
Not just with Healer Ellis but with the royal family.
Sneaking into a royal event as important as this was definitely not going to go unpunished.
And if they found out how she had gotten in, she knew it would be much worse for Kent.
She shivered at the thought. She didn't want to imagine Kent getting punished again because of her.
A rush of excitement filled the crowd. All the women who had been on the sidelines began rushing over to the dance floor. What was going on?
"Your suit is most dashing, Your Highness!"
"Would you mind being my partner for the next dance?"
Panic shot down Y/N's spine, and she froze.
And like right out of a fairytale, the crowd parted, and she could see a man with perfectly styled blond hair, wearing a red and gold suit that fit him to perfection.
Interestingly, the mask he was wearing only covered half of his face, so it was very easy for Y/N to recognize Lennox.
She couldn't pull her gaze away when she realized he was smiling. Not a patronizing or sarcastic one. Not a smirk. A real, true smile.
She was in utter disbelief.
Not even 24 hours ago, he had threatened her while pinning her to her bed.
And yet, here he was. Like he didn't have a care in the world.
And the way he spoke to these women with the utmost respect made her blood boil.
This wasn't the real him. Prince Lennox was an evil and vicious man who had no idea what the word chivalry meant.
He held no respect for people he saw as beneath him.
This persona he put forth was the one she came to know before she moved here.
The tales of the kindhearted prince who could make a woman fall in love with only a few words.
The one who would treat their future queen like a goddess.
Oh, how she would very much like to stomp over there and tell all those ladies how he had treated her over the past month.
"It's funny, isn't it?"
Y/N shot her head to the left, where a woman was leaning against the other side of the pillar, looking right at the crowd.
"Pardon?"
"They all crowd around him, knowing that only one of them can win. And the winner might not even be here."
"I'm sorry, I don't follow?"
The woman turned to face her, her face adorned with a gorgeous red mask. "They all fight desperately for his attention, even though it doesn't matter if they don't have his mark."
A sharp pain shot down her spine, and she bit her lip to keep from making a sound.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
"Yeah, just that time of the month."
She sucked her teeth. "Ouch, that sucks. Why don't you head down to the Physician's Wing and get something for the pain?"
"I already took something, it's just taking a while to kick in, is all. But I agree. I don't get why they're all so impressed by that facade. They have no idea what he's like when no one's looking."
The woman's eyes widened. "Whoa. You know, speaking about the royal family like that could be considered treason."
Y/N's face blanched, realizing this room was filled with nobles who practically worshipped the floor the royal family walked on.
Her serious face broke into laughter. "I'm joking! Irene, you should've seen the look on your face. You can have whatever opinion you want on Lennox; he really is an ass sometimes. How come you sound like you know him so well?"
"I-I don't! It's just that you never know what someone is truly like behind closed doors, that's all I was trying to say."
"Well, I have to agree with you, miss...?"
Y/N paused. "Calypso."
The woman smiled at her. "Lovely to meet you, Calypso. I'm Anna. It's nice to finally have tolerable company."
"Likewise. It's nice to meet someone who is critical of royalty."
Anna snorted. "Oh, I assure you, there's no one more critical than I."
A man with tan brown skin and hair as dark as night motioned for Anna to come join him. She stepped away from the pillar and turned back to face Y/N. "Well, I've enjoyed our short conversation. Unfortunately, I am needed elsewhere, but I do hope I can catch you later on in the night."
Y/N smiled. "I look forward to it."
And there she was, alone again. Deciding she had spent enough time warming the pillar, she peeled herself off of it and headed to get herself a refreshment.
Stood before her were what felt like hundreds of different glasses, all filled with mysterious, colourful liquids.
Nothing was labelled, so taking a chance, she chose one of the glasses filled with a pink drink.