The next day felt stressed and crammed in a way I wasn't prepared for, and it wasn't just me. The short timeline for arranging for such a large ball meant the entire palace was beginning to run around like lost chickens. Preparations such as decorations, floral arrangements, and even guests attending from far away were starting to arrive. There were going to be over 200 guests staying within the palace and another few hundred coming the day of.

A ball such as this was not ordinary; the cost and the labor it took to set up were kept for the most exclusive of occasions. Apparently, I was considered worthy of an exclusive occasion.

I wondered why my parents were putting so much time and effort into this event, or I guess mainly just Luciana's time, and energy-Heinrich worked on other stuff pertaining to diplomacy and Ithican law. Even so, they were putting such a focus on the ball, and yet I felt like I hardly got to see them.

The dinner on my first night at the palace was the only private moment I have had with them. At this rate, I would never be able to get to know them, and I once again felt like I was being forgotten. Although I was hypocritical with my sentiments; even I was far too busy with my lessons to truly carve out some time to spend with them.

Today would be another busy day on the docket without a breath to spare in free time. Soren and Gerard had adjusted my schedule today to cancel history, literature, and language so that I could spend extra time practicing etiquette and learning about those who would be in attendance. I needed to put my best foot forward in every aspect in front of the scrutiny of the council.

Dance lessons took up another large portion of the day until I could get through the dances without stepping on Soren's toes. It wasn't the prettiest dancing in the world, but it worked, and that was all that mattered. I didn't even have time for dinner before I was rushed off to meet with Jae. Gerard had privately spoken to him about the mix up with the dress; I had tripped and accidentally torn it. Jae would be trying to fix it tonight.

Once again entering the fitting room with Gerard on my heels, I was met with the sight of Jae leaning over a table working away on a shimmering dress. "It's good to see you! Let's take a look at that dress and see what we can do." His voice sounded happy, which I was thankful for. I was afraid he would be mad at me for the tear in the dress. I handed the fabric to him.

His eyes widened slightly at the large rip that went front top to bottom of the bodice. "When Gerard mentioned the tear, he said it was bad, but I didn't realize it was quite this bad. You tripped, and it tore?"

"Yes, I'm so sorry."

"Its, okay, it's okay." He brushed my fretting off. "Go ahead and put it on, and I'll see what we can do."

I was ushered behind one of the room dividers and changed into the dress. I had to hold it up in the front again to keep it from slipping off of my body. The tear completely eliminated the hard work Jae had done to tailor the dress to fit me. Walking out, I stood in front of the mirror, and Jae simply stared for a while.

Nervous under his scrutiny, I decided to break the silence, "So, can you fix it?"

"Maybe, it won't be easy. It might just be easier to find a new dress. But I must ask again, you tripped, and it tore?"

My mouth felt dry as I replied. "Yes, I can be quite clumsy."

"The thing is, a tear like this requires a lot of force as if it was pulled purposely."

"Purposely? I don't know what you're talking about."

Jae sighed. "Yes, you do. Tell me who did it. At this point, I think I have a pretty good guess."

"I, uh, it was Guinevere." I exhaled in resignation. There was no getting out of telling him.

"Just as I suspected. But no worries. When Gerard informed me of the tear, he said it looked hard to fix; of course, I never would have expected it to be this hard, so I began working on a new dress for you."

Jae went back to the glittering mass on the table, and he held up the most beautiful dress I had ever seen. I didn't even know it was possible to make something so beautiful. The base of the dress was cream, and the full skirt had a sheer overlay that was decorated in iridescent jewels. Patches of sewn-on, blue-toned fabric flowers embellished the skirt and became denser as they covered the bodice. The decorations went up and over the shoulders and down the back to hug the spine. The sleeves were sheer as well, still covered in iridescent jewels, with a cuff of the fabric flowers around the wrist. The skirt stretched out in a long train at the back of the dress. I was sure I would trip on the train, but the dress was still breathtakingly beautiful.

"How?" I was struck nearly speechless, and this small word was all I could utter.

"With magic, of course." Jae waved his fingers, and a few light blue sparks fell from his fingers. "This was a dress I had been working on for a while. I just used a little magic and my talent to get it ready to wear after Gerard informed me of the tear." He winked at me.

"It's incredible." I stared wide-eyed at the masterpiece held before me. It was more beautiful than any painting I had ever seen and crafted with more detail than even the best sculptures.

"Now come on! Try it on." Jae helped me into this dress as it was much larger and much heavier than the previous one. He tied up the back and escorted me to the mirror. "In the last dress, you looked like a princess. Now you look like a queen," his eyes glimmered with pride at his design.

"I can't thank you enough, Jae. This is truly amazing."

"Alright, now stay there while I make some last-minute adjustments," he ordered.

I stayed as still as I could as he inserted pins into the dress, taking it in or out in certain areas until it was absolutely perfect. While I stood there, I decided to ask about Guinevere. "Jae, can you tell me more about Guinevere? Why is she the way that she is?"

"That girl is a vixen in bed and snake in real life." He chuckled, and my eyes widened in surprise. Jae and Guinevere had hooked up? Apparently, the royal life was much more scandalous than I previously thought. "We had a fling many years ago before she turned so evil," he explained.

Jae took a few measurements before continuing: "She used to be much nicer, but the fame and privilege of this life got to her head. After you were taken, she was the next in line, and when her mother passed a few years later, she basically became Queen Luciana's surrogate daughter."

"So Luciana doesn't see her less-than-kind ways?"

"Oh, not in the slightest. Not only did she become the shining star of Luciana's eye, but she also became the pride and joy of Ithica."

I sighed. "Great, how do I live up to that?"

"Oh, shush. Guinevere is nothing more than a spoiled princess. She may seem confident, but she would never have what it takes to truly rule." He chuckled. "When you arrived, there were rumblings amongst the palace staff that she threw her biggest temper tantrum yet and nearly destroyed her room. Wasn't a surprise to anyone. The thing she wanted most in the world was taken away so close to the coronation."

"I both pity her and yet don't like her at the same time."

"Welcome to the club." Jae chuckled. "The citizens of Ithica obviously still see her as the golden girl of the land, behind you, of course." He winked at me. "But many of us who work more closely with her in the palace feel the same as you. Even some of the council don't quite like her."

"If some of the council don't like her, then they definitely won't like me. I hardly know what I'm doing. Guinevere has at least had formal training."

"Nonsense, they will love you, and if they don't then maybe it's time for them to change."

Jae sent me off with my dress in hand once again. It was quite late, and it was unlikely that I would run into anyone, especially Guinevere, this time. The lights were dimmed for the late hour, making the hallways seem much more ominous than before. The only sound was the clopping of Gerard's hooves.

When I entered my room, I found Fenrir pacing back in forth. At my entrance, he loped up next to me and snuffled against my hand before he went behind me and began pushing at the back of my knees.

"What is going on with you?" I questioned the giant wolf.

Fenrir circled me once before taking off towards the bed and circling the bed once.

"I think he wants you to follow." Gerard's words were spoken quietly, but they still cut through the thick silence that seemed to weigh down the room.

Walking towards the bed, I could feel my back tingling almost as if someone was watching me. But that would be impossible. The guard posted outside my door wouldn't allow anyone inside, and my room was far too high off the ground for anyone to make it in through the windows.

I felt my heart sink when I saw a small piece of paper about the size of an index card placed gently on my bed. It was completely blank except for three simple words that, when put together, held a gravity that I was entirely unprepared for. 

"You're in danger."