Clara stood behind the doors of the main ballroom, nervous to walk inside. She hadn’t been to events like this before so she had no clue when she should enter or how to act. People had come from the far corners of the kingdom in order to meet the crown prince and see the announcement of his engagement.

But it was also a night where they would find out that their true crown prince had returned. How could she even think to walk into this event as just his friend? That wasn’t how the minds of people worked in this world.

She sighed as she looked up at the large wooden doors with wonder. She looked down at Theo who was resting at her waist.

“What do you think?”

He looked up at her and blinked before resting his head back on her waist, looking at the door.

“Yeah, I guess I should go in then.”

“And would you like for me to you inside Lady Clara?” A voice spoke from beside her. She looked up to see Seungri standing beside her with his hand out to her. “We wouldn’t want to keep the prince waiting to see his best friend in that gorgeous gown now would we?”

Clara smiled and placed her hand in his as he opened the door. A few eyes turned their way as they walked but Seungri pulled her along from watchful eyes. There were some whispers of wonders about who she was but they all silenced when the King stood and everyone faced forward.

The two of them stopped near Daesung and Youngbae with a smile. They each took her hand and kissed the back of it gently. That sparked some shocked gasps from a few guests on the sides closest to them.

“You look lovely this evening Lady Clara. Everyone in here can tell you that without speaking with you.” Daesung whispered before facing forward right as the king began to speak.

“Lords and Ladies, thank you for coming this evening. I’m very excited that you are all here for the kingdom has received some wonderful news.”

The crowd went into loud murmurs of curiosity and excitement. The King held up his hands to signal silence and everyone hushed down once more. Without another word, he gestured towards the large staircase and a fanfare began.

The curtains pulled back and revealed Jiyong standing there, his head held high as he walked forward. Clara looked around to see the shock growing on the other royals faces. She smiled to see how well they were taking his return.

Jiyong, on the other hand, looked forward as best as he possibly could without trying to run away. He tried to look at his father but his nerves just grew. He glanced around as best he could without turning his head and landed on Clara.

He almost stopped in his tracks when he saw her. She was smiling just as everyone else was but he felt that hers was the only genuine one. The gown that she was wearing was gorgeous on her, highlighting her beautiful skin.

He wanted to walk right towards her but he knew he couldn’t. At least not yet. He continued his march up to the thrones and kneeled before the Dragon King. The king placed his hands on Jiyong’s shoulders to make him stand.

“Behold,” The king’s voice boomed. “My son, the true heir to the throne, has returned home. Tonight is not for his coronation but to celebrate his engagement.”

He waved his hand towards a door on his left and in walked Princess Lina. Her face exuded innocence but her eyes were sultry. Jiyong refused to look at her directly and instead settled his gaze on his mother who smiled at him knowingly.

Give her one dance, my son, then you can be free for the night. His eyes went wide as he looked at his mother. She hid a chuckle behind her hand at his reaction. I will teach you this later.

He smiled gently at her before turning his attention towards Princess Lina. She was smiling sweetly at him before linking her arm into his.

~~~

Soon after the introduction of Princess Lina, Jiyong took her to the floor for the first dance of the night. She was so light as they moved swiftly to the music. He continued to avoid her gaze as he danced with her. Instead every time they spun around, his eyes would land on Clara.

She was standing next to the knights watching him with a gentle smile.

“Pay attention to me, you highness. Otherwise the royals will think you’re not fit to be king if you cannot keep your eyes off of other women.” Lina whispered into his ear harshly.

“Well then it’s too bad that I don’t want to be with you in the first place. Though you should hide that malice in your eyes before someone catches on to whatever it is you’re planning.” He whispered equally as harsh but he smiled and looked down at her instead.

Lina almost let her irritation show but she pulled it together quickly as the dance was nearing its end. When the music stopped, they stepped apart and bowed towards one another as everyone around them applauded.

Jiyong wanted to see Clara as soon as possible but right as he was walking over towards her, he was stopped by a crowd of lords and dukes wanting to talk about his disappearance. They fawned over him and how much he had grown since his last appearance in the castle.

“My lords, my cousin is not yet used to this environment. Please do not crowd him.” Seunghyun’s voice came up beside him. He looked at Jiyong and nodded for him to go to Clara. “Any questions you may have about his return you may ask me. He has spoken to me quite a lot since he came back.”

Jiyong quietly slipped away as the questions he was bombarded with were now directed at Seunghyun.

“There you are, your highness. I thought you would never be released.” Youngbae said with a chuckle and a gentle slap on the shoulder when he came over towards the knights. They were standing by the large windows in the ballroom watching the room diligently.

“Neither did I.” He laughed then looked at Clara. She looked away from him and he had to resist the urge to hug her.

“Are you enjoying the ball, Clara?”

“I am. But I’m a bit nervous, I will admit.”

Jiyong held his hand out for hers and she looked at him in shock. “What are you doing?”

His grin grew wider as he took her by the hand and began dragging her towards the dance floor. “About to dance with my best friend.”

The room went silent again when they saw the prince walking back towards the dance floor with a mysterious new partner. Clara looked to see the King and Queen smiling at them fondly while Lina smirked beside them.

The other dancers on the floor made room for them as the orchestra started up again with a new song. Jiyong placed his hand on her waist and felt something strange. Clara chuckled.

“It’s just Theo. The seamstresses thought it would be a good idea to blend him into my gown.”

“Clever. Dangerous but clever.” He said as Theo moved to the other side of Clara’s waist.

The music began and he whisked her across the room. Clara never took her eyes off of Jiyong’s. His smile seemed brighter as they spun around the dance floor as if they were one. Eventually, other dancers joined them, covering the floor.

“You know, if I could I would like to just leave here by means of teleportation but I don’t want you hitting me when I wake up once we get to where I want us to be.” Jiyong said, a mischievous grin on his face.

“Now your highness, your engagement was just announced and here you are talking about running away with me already?” Clara joked but he just looked at her lovingly.

“Well, between you and I, I don’t want to be with her. Just for looks really. I could always have someone as wonderful as you but my parents wouldn’t approve sadly.”

“But I’m not worthy to be with someone as regal as you, your highness.” She quickly looked away from him, her smile disappearing.

Jiyong had them stop right in front of the orchestra and looked at Clara with his brows bunched together in thought. He looked at the orchestra and an idea came into his head.

“Wait right here.”

Clara looked up at him confused until he walked up to the conductor and stopped the music. Her eyes went wide when she realized what he was about to do.

“Oh…no, no, no, no, no.” She held her hands up to and whispered silently. She looked over towards Youngbae and the others and they held up their drinks with a smile. They must have known Jiyong would do something like this.

She turned to look back at him and he had everyone’s attention on him.

“Ladies and gentlemen. I apologize for the sudden abruption but my dear friend here and I would like to show you something that we have learned within my absence.” He held his hand out towards the violinist with a soft smile and was handed the violin. He reached out his other hand for Clara’s and she had no choice but to accept as he led her towards the center of the floor.

He let her hand go and stepped away from her before lifting the violin to his shoulder. He smiled at her reassuringly and she returned it tentatively. She closed her eyes before the first notes began and took deep breaths to calm herself.

The bow hit the strings and began a light and airy melody that made her think of her mother. As the music filled the room, she began to move around the prince gracefully. She opened her eyes and kept them on Jiyong so that she would not lose her nerves as she danced.

Eventually the entire room were looking on with awe as she danced and Kwon played. In that moment, he was Kwon to her once more. Fun loving, sleeping in late, hardworking Kwon. He looked at her with care and she looked at him with love.

One the song was over, the applause was thunderous. Clara was breathing heavy but had a wide smile on her face. Jiyong took her hand to direct her towards the king and queen who looked at them with excitement.

“That was wonderful son! And you Lady Clara, you were beautiful. Such an amazing surprise for the evening.” The king’s praise lifted Clara’s spirits and she smiled and bowed.

~~~

Lina looked around and saw Jean enter through one of the side doors. He looked her in the eye and shook his head once.

Damn. Where could that creature be?

She had to control her glaring as Clara and Jiyong danced together then put on their show. The only thing she could think to do now was expose the dragon but it was nowhere to be found. She watched as everyone praised the prince and Clara for their performance and got an idea.

“That was a lovely…dance you did Clara. Tell me, where are you from?” She blinked slowly, suppressing a smile.

“I was born and raised right here in the capitol until my mother passed.” Clara said without missing a beat. She knew Lina would try to embarrass her over her background but that was something she had to be proud of now that she was regaining her own memories.

Lina was caught off guard with her confidence but it didn’t stop her from continuing her plan. “Hmm, I’m sorry for your loss. But if I may ask, did she leave you with any pets or gifts of any kind? Something that would let you keep memory of her?”

Clara felt her heart speeding up. She can’t know about Theo, can she? Subconsciously, her hand went to her waist where Theo was resting yet glaring up at the Princess. Lina caught sight of her movement and a clear smile formed on her lips.

“She did, didn’t she? What’s that on your hip there?” Lina jutted her chin towards her and watched as everyone within earshot heard the conversation.

“Nothing but a flower.”

“Doesn’t seem that way with how you’re cradling your side. Let us see what you’re hiding.” Lina waved her hand over Clara but Jiyong stood in front of her.

“With all due respect, Prince Jiyong, but I just want to reveal what she’s hiding.”

“She told you nothing. There is no need to harass her more.” Jiyong felt Theo move onto him hoping the cloaking spell he cast on him worked in time.

“Then let me see what my spell has revealed.” Lina looked him straight in the eyes but he wouldn’t budge.

“It’s okay, your highness. I’m fine.” Clara spoke clearly and stepped from behind Jiyong.

Lina looked to see that nothing was there and cleared .

“It seems that you were telling the truth. My apologies.”