I wasn’t expecting the hundreds of women and men in fancy jewelry, extravagant dresses, and the huge ballroom where everyone was gathered. Women were wearing pearls and hair garments that looked like they were made out of pure diamonds. Their dresses were colorful and they all looked like they were wearing the perfect ballgown dresses. Women's makeup and hair were done to perfection, as mine was messily braided with no makeup on at all. I suddenly realized my hair wasn’t the only reason I stood out here, but the fact that I was underdressed as well. I could spot a few Northerners that were here by their complexion and color of their hair but the majority of people who were here were from the south. Northern people tended to be more pale because of all the forest surrounding us while in the South the sun gleamed on everyones skin from dusk to dawn.

I walked down the marble floors past the large paintings of the royal family. My father had always been one to be more connected with nature and his people than with materialistic objects. I felt out of place in this environment, surrounded by people who were dressed so superficially when there were children and families starving just outside the comfort of the castle. Was there anything being done to change this? It has just occurred to me that I don’t even know what the prince looks like. I had forgotten to ask Gennevote when I was asking her about the prince. The one thing that actually would have been useful to know. The women I was walking by were whispering and turning their heads towards me, probably not positive things either. I assumed they were judging the attire I decided to show up in, or the lack of effort that I put into getting ready for this ball. It didn’t matter though. I had more important things to worry about tonight.

Suddenly a young man came up on the stage with a trumpet. He was dressed nicely in royal garments and looked like he was someone of importance. The commotion and music came to a stop as he stood up on a pedestal on top of the stage. “I would like to thank everyone on behalf of the royal family for coming to the ball tonight in Honor of King Sebastian Anworth. May we all remember his great achievements and honor he brought to our nation for centuries to come. Today we mourned, tonight we celebrate his life and dedication to the South and the country of Hisal. While his absence is a great and sudden loss to our people, may his son and my fearless brother Prince Kazuto lead carry on in his footsteps. Please, dance, eat, and enjoy tonight's ball as a gift from the royal family to you.” He bowed and clapping followed as he walked off the stage.

I scanned the room to try and find someone to ask about the prince. Everyone was either engaged in conversation or dancing. Then, I noticed a young man probably around my age standing in the corner with a drink in his hand. His suit was black with the symbol of the southern kingdom embroidered on the left shoulder. His hair was black and he didn’t look like he was doing anything so I took the opportunity to walk up to him.

As I pushed through the crowds and began walking closer to him I heard two women whisper- if you could even call it whispering say, “How dare she go and walk up to him like that?” I wasn’t sure who they were directing that at, but when I turned around to look they had already vanished between the people dancing and conversing.

He hadn’t noticed I had even walked up to him, or maybe he had, he was staring off into the crowd. I smiled, “Excuse me?” He turned his head and glared at me with a cold expression without replying.

“Sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you knew anything about the prince coming to this ball tonight?” I looked around. “Or what he happens to look like?” Scanning the crowd once more, I figured that since everyone was wealthy and looked similar tonight, it may be hard to spot him through the crowd.

He looked uninterested although it finally looked like he had acknowledged my existance, “Silver hair, from the Northern kingdom, you have come a long way just to try and seduce the prince” he said bluntly.

It took everything in me to ignore his rude comment. If I told him why I was really here, I would attract attention that wasn’t wanted. I figured I would say something vague in hopes that he would leave it alone. “That’s actually not why I want to find him, I’m here for business and I happened to arrive earlier than expected ” I smiled trying to be as nice as I could hoping to get as much information out of him as possible. If this was how all of the upper class at this ball acted towards me I had a feeling they would all react in a similar manner.

His lifeless eyes glanced to his cup as he took a swig. “Princess Kana came here herself for business, it must be important then.”

I eyed him shocked as he said this because I hadn’t given him my name yet. “How-” he cut me off. My chest suddenly started to hurt. Had I already messed up? How does he know who I am? Thousands of questions were running through my head.

“The South has heard of the beautiful Northern princess with silver hair, Not many Northerners come to the South for business." He paused, "Now tell me, I wasn’t aware the business I had to discuss with the Northern princess was so urgent she would come and find me personally just a day before the council meeting that was supposed to be with her father.”

This was Prince Kazuto. I should have known by his outfit. I hadn’t assumed the prince would be alone at a ball honoring his father, nevertheless so rude too. This was already going so wrong so fast. My father should have came here. I couldn’t handle this responsibility. You have too. You can't let everyone down. This is your responsibility. I took a deep breathe and plucked his drink from his hand setting it down on a small table next to us. “Would you mind dancing with me, Prince Kazuto?” “That is, if you don’t mind taking a break from dutifully standing and scowling in the corner?” I figured the best chance that I had for civil conversation was through having him relax around me. If that was even possible. It seems like this was his face since he was born, constantly annoyed at the rest of the world and seemingly bored.

I stretched my hand out offering it to him and he grabbed it pulling me towards the dance floor. His hand was warm and it calmed the shaking that I wasn't even aware that hands were doing. The whispers from the women suddenly made sense. To them, I was just a poor girl who had the nerve of approaching their prince. The people on the dance floor gasped and moved slightly out of the way. Their attempts to make it look like they were not staring didn’t work very well. Everyone continued dancing, however their eyes lingered on me, staring me up and down for just a little too long to go unnoticed.

He placed his hand on my lower back and we started to dance. “You attract quite a lot of attention don’t you?” I asked ironically. I wasn't going to let him intimidate me anymore. He may be the future king of this nation, but I was also going to be the future queen.

“I prefer to skip the small talk Princess, what are you really here for.” He said coldly while staring me in the eyes. I felt a shiver run down my spine. Is this really the future king of this nation? Could someone as cold hearted as this person find another resolution besides war? I had to believe he would. It is my duty to protect my people and to protect the dragons.