Chapter 13 Imperial Banter 59 +10 Free Coins The feast slid effortlessly into a pageant of music and movement . Princess Aurora of Brorchester stepped onto the lantern - washed platform , a slender blade catching each crimson beam . She spun , leaped , and slashed through imaginary foes with a soldier's precision yet a poet's rhythm . By the final flourish , every cup was forgotten ; the hall thundered with approving cries . Fiona sat beside Ulrich , shoulders drawn in , letting the velvet shadows swallow her pale gown . Neither the Sixth Prince nor the sharp - eyed , ever - meddling Soren spared her so much as a glance . Yet she never saw the sword dance to its end ; unease kept tugging at her sleeve . A maid slipped up behind her , silent as falling dust , and bent to whisper , " Ms. Fiona , Ms. Wagner is asking for you . " One look at the maid's strained eyes told Fiona something had gone terribly wrong . She rose at once and followed the girl out of the glowing pavilion . Backstage smelled of crushed rouge and nervous sweat . Yolanda spun toward her . Moisture trembled on her lower lashes . " Fiona , what am I supposed to do ? " she blurted . Fiona laid a calming hand on her arm . " Yolanda , breathe . Tell me everything from the start ." She had arranged a dazzling routine , perfect in her mind , until a fellow dancer hissed a warning just prior to that . A pose that was common in Duflana , which was prohibited in Brorchester , was considered a vicious mockery of their royal excesses . If that scene played before Princess Aurora , Yolanda could never shoulder the consequences it would bring between the two countries . " Then this dance cannot go on ," Fiona responded calmly . Yolanda nodded hard . " I'll replace it with another routine . The troupe practices that endlessly , they won't misstep . The catch is that we're missing a performer . " Fiona understood at once . She knew the steps by heart , yet a daughter of the Niven family sharing a stage with professional dancers would stain her family's pride . However , Yolanda was engaged to Ulrich . Any disgrace that befell the Wagner family would splash straight onto the Niven family . Fiona weighed advantages and ruin , and remembered how sincerely Yolanda had always 1/3 14:37 Fri , Oct 10 Chapter 13 Imperial Banter : treated her ; the plea could not have come lightly . A59 59 +10 Free Coins She lowered her voice . " Yolanda , this stays between us . If anyone asks , say I'm feeling unwell and resting in your tent ." Yolanda nodded , then turned to a maid . " Put on Fiona's gown and lie in my quarters . If someone enters , keep silent and pretend to sleep . " Behind a painted screen , Fiona slipped out of her linen day dress and into the satin costume , designed to celebrate every curve . When she emerged , Yolanda glanced up and color seared across her cheeks . Guided by Yolanda , Fiona joined the troupe backstage and ran through the routine once , her body finding the familiar arc of each bend without a slip . To hide her identity , she bound a sheer veil over her face and kept her tongue still . Moments later , she followed the other dancers onto the brightly lit stage . Though positioned away from the center , she felt dozens of deliberate or accidental stares brush against her skin like embers . She stole a glance at Xavier ; his brows knit , suspicion flickering in his eyes . Then her gaze flicked to Soren . He held her stare a heartbeat before turning toward the empty seat next to Ulrich . Fiona's stomach dropped ; a chill shot up her spine and burst against her scalp . There was no time to dwell . The strings and flutes struck their first chord . Fiona moved , every motion a river of silk - her waist bending like a willow , her sleeves fluttering like spring pear blossoms . The single routine stretched into eternity , each second dilating around her racing heartbeat . The moment the final note of the music died , Fiona dipped into her closing bow , then all but fled the candle - lit platform . Her pulse still thrummed with the rhythm of the dance when she caught sight of Zephyr Marchmont , the Sixth Prince , seated in the royal gallery , staring at her with a steady , unmistakable hunger . She had sworn never to let the Sixth Prince near her again . Power pooled around men like him , thick as storm clouds , and in her previous life , she had learned how easily lightning struck . He had scorned her in public , yet tried to cage her as a concubine in private . That lesson was carved deep enough to ache even at that moment . So she gathered her skirts and flew down the corridor , a wisp of silk racing the shadows that 2/3 14:37 Fri , Oct 10 Chapter 13 Imperial Banter trailed her heels . : Z ( 59 ) +10 Free Coins " The Ministry of Rites chooses its dance girls well . Fascinating creatures ," Zephyr drawled , his eyes still following the retreating silhouettes . Across from him , Soren merely turned his cup between his fingers , the porcelain clicking softly against his ring as he offered no reply . " My mistake , Soren . You have never cared for such amusements . Even the famed dancers in my own estate failed to stir you , " Zephyr added , amusement thin as paper . To Zephyr , Callum was a blockhead - decent , dutiful , and blind to desire . Soren , on the other hand , understood every pleasure yet pursued only power . That ruthlessness suited Zephyr just fine . After all , the Zonfrillo family was his mother's kin . The higher their influence climbed , the safer his own ambitions felt . " Those dancers were never meant for your entertainment ," Soren replied , voice so mild it cut sharper than any blade . " Business , pleasure - lines blur , Soren , " Zephyr answered with a careless laugh . He then signaled a servant . " Find out which of those girls is the true jewel among them . " Soren's gaze drifted past the departing servant to Ulrich . Beside Ulrich stood Xavier , and for the briefest heartbeat , a cold , crooked smile slid across Xavier's mouth before vanishing like frost under the sun . Backstage , Fiona stripped away the jewel - bright costume with practiced speed , slipped into her plain traveling clothes , and hurried to Yolanda's tent , the lantern light quivering with each breath she took . Yolanda rushed forward and clasped Fiona's hands . " Fiona , I do not know how to thank you . " Her shoulders shook , relief washing through her until tears spilled without shame . Fiona pulled her close and brushed away the tears . " Yolanda , you are as dear to me as a sister . I could never stand by and watch harm find you . "