"We're probably clear now." I informed her, smirking down at her zoned out face. Her nose twitched and she opened one eye, then the other.

"Gosh thank you so much." She held my gaze and I felt the world tilt a little.

"You're a good actress." I very nearly blurted, the words felt difficult to form.

"Thanks, I always used to feign illness to escape -" She shut herself up and I stopped. "You should probably put me down."

I'd rather not. "I think it may be safer just in case any of my parent's servants come past. And dare I assume that it was dancing lessons you feigned illness to escape."

A smile split behind her lips and she nodded. "Those particularly, and others too, the life of a lady is dreadful."

I cocked my head slightly to the side. "So is the life of a gentleman I suppose."

"Is that why you went to war?"

I nodded, smiling ruefully. "One of the reasons. I had this..." I hesitated, trying to find the right word to describe him, "friend, from Definis. He was poor so my father hated him. I managed to get him a place in the forty seventh division and decided to go there too. That, and the fact I've been obsessed with fighting almost all my life anyway. Four year old me was mean with a wooden battle-axe." She laughed loudly, I nearly dropped her in surprise, but it was alright; we had reached her door and I put her back onto her feet, knocking for her. Two maids turned up, their eyes widening when they saw me, dropping into deep curtsies.

"Good night, Lady Evangeline, I will return if I can." I kissed her hand and cast a quick glance over the trio of women, the two in black uniforms still in shock, the one in the muted green ballgown wearing an impressed smirk.

And so I returned to the ballroom. The music was loud and I felt trapped by thousands of bodies the moment I stepped back in, the tordion finished and a cluster of Debutantes materialised in front of me.

"Your Highness, is Evangeline alright?" The one closest to me said, it was Serena Jeffords. I bowed and kissed her hand, leading her to the centre of the dance floor.

"She's well enough, came to quite quickly, I'm sure it was her corset or something." I lied smoothly, already having realised that Serena held little or no interest in Evangeline's condition.

Serena laughed prettily, expertly dancing the steps with an easy grace even I couldn't achieve. "Indeed, I suppose not all of us ladies are blessed with a little waist."

I almost laughed at her as I noticed how perfect her timing was, the beat had come for me to lift her into the air, discovering that her waist was indeed very petite.

Angel came at me next for the polka. She was talking to me but I pretended not to hear, just following the steps. A short break followed and rather than being able to make my way to the buffet to eat something, mother made her way through the Debutantes, glaring at me.

She caught me by the arm and we ducked out onto the balcony over the pond.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" Mother hissed, the tiara on her head wobbling a little bit. I was safe though; she was afraid not angry.

"I chose to dance with Lady Bence, she fell ill, I took her back to her suite."

"How could you choose her? She's barely anyone? And then you abandon them and -"

"Mother." I cut her off and hugged her. "It will be alright."

She glared at me weakly. "Make sure you give lots of attention to Serena and Angel, and dance with Edith Sanders would you?"

I nodded, trying to avoid rolling my eyes, and kissed her cheek. "Everything is under control."

Mother still held my gaze, she was my height. "There is more afoot than you know." She whispered. I kissed her cheek and pulled her into a hug. There was nothing father would keep from me in terms of the war, she was merely stressing herself more than need be. Mother stroked my neck and I melted into her cold shoulder, feeling overwhelmed from all of the Debutantes.

When we had both recovered our facades, I escorted mother back to father. His eyes bored into mine until the music struck up again and I could turn to see the frog wall pressing in.

I supposed it was Edith Sanders's turn, and bowed to her. She looked like she would faint with excitement and I wondered if I would have to yet again carry a girl out of the ballroom. Thankfully this was a dance where we swapped partners a lot. Edith was the poorest out of the Debutantes, even more so than Evangeline, but her father and mine had been close friends after Captain Sanders had saved father from a Baracosian arrow. He was a good general who worked hard for us, and as a reward his ugly daughter was granted a place in my inaugural season.

I had to suffer through five more hours of dancing, not able to leave until the early morning, I barely had time to talk to Tristan, or Fana, or any of the generals and lords who had come to see me for the nine glittering frogs who pushed themselves on me at every opportunity. But I still wanted to see her when I left the ball, I said that I'd return if I could. Having left the Debutantes with other partners, my family long since retired, I made my way to my library, picking up Reynolds and the well worn book on strategic positionings grandfather had written himself.

I had knocked on the door twice and was starting to get fidgety, worried that father would find me back here, or worse, the Debutantes. On the third knock the door was wrenched back and Evangeline looked annoyedly out at me.

She laughed exasperatedly but at least some of the smile was true. "What are you doing here? It's the middle of the night."

"I escaped the ball, can I come in?" I whispered.

She raised an eyebrow. "Even I know that that would be completely indecent. I don't even have a corset on, Gavrila! Anyway it's too late, let me sleep."

I frowned, disheartened. "You know there's nothing on the schedule tomorrow apart from a day in mother's drawing room?"

"Please, I'm so tired." She smiled, a little shyly. I nodded, partially as I was starting to hear female voices coming up the stairs.

"Take these in case you get bored in the morning, study them and I'll give you a test tomorrow night." I passed her the books and didn't fail to see the way she rose up a little on the balls of her feet, her plaited hair shifting on her back. "Good night, Lady Evangeline." I went to kiss her hand but she pulled it out of my grasp.

"Call me Evie." She smiled at me and my lips spilt into a grin.

"Goodnight Evie." I kissed her hand successfully this time and almost toppled into a service door, just as Holly Reichen came around the corner, laughing daintily with one I hadn't met yet.