Karmen: Please vote on the chapter and add the story to your reading list if you're enjoying it so far!

Tonight is the night. The least anticipated night I'll ever have. The ball.

Kathryn wanted to stay in bed a little longer, sometimes even wishing that she'll never wake up. A bit too dark, but she'd rather die than go to that ball.

Three hours left until the ball starts in the ballroom. The servants had her prep for the ball in the morning. The ENTIRE morning and half of the afternoon.

After all of that nonsense that she had to go through, she snuck away to rest for the time being until one of her servants find her to prepare her for the real thing.

"I don't wanna meet people I don't care about..." Kathryn groans to herself, her face flat on top of a fluffy pillow. "I don't even wanna get married right now."

Kathryn lifts her head up and rolled over to lie on her back. She exhaled as she gazed up at the ceiling.

"I could run away," Kathryn tells herself. "With my cai, I can portal to another country, hide my identity by living in the countryside. Maybe live life as a farmer."

While thinking about what to do if she ran away, the princess kept playing out scenarios. But in all those scenarios she thought up, it was only her.

"Damn, I'm alone in all these scenarios..." Kathryn muttered to herself. "Who would I even bring?"

There weren't many people she knew who would agree to runaway with her. She thought maybe Freya, but the princess honestly thinks the noble girl wouldn't want to leave her title of "noble" just to continue playing with the royal girl.

Thomas... would he come with me? she asked herself.

Remembering Thomas reminded Kathryn of the time he wanted to tell her something not too long ago until she had to leave.

What did he want to say?

Three hours has passed. Kathryn had her hair, makeup and dress ready thanks to the servants who helped her. The princess had her hair in a princess crown braid. For the dress she wore a light blue floral vine embroidery ball gown that exposed her shoulders and arms. Because she's a princess, she wore a jeweled tiara atop of her head and wore a necklace with a yellow sapphire.

"Are you ready, your highness?" the maid, Judith, asked.

Kathryn took a deep breath.

"Yes. Yes I am."

~~~

The ballroom was filled with people, boys and girls Kathryn's age or older. She didn't want to be on the dance floor or anywhere in the open, but she had no choice but to stand and chat to the men who approached her. Many sons of lords made advances on her, and she knew she couldn't deny them. She felt like nothing but a prize to these guys, none of them seemed to really care about how she felt or truly wanted to get to know her.

Once the men left her alone, Kathryn took this chance to escape. She took sanctuary at an empty balcony, resting her arms on the railings as she sighs.

"I didn't know what I was expecting." Kathryn rests her head on her arms. "Was I really expecting a Prince Charming to come sweep me off my feet?"

Kathryn looked up at the night sky, seeing the stars and moon above. She recognized most of the constellations in the sky, like Aquila, Cæra, and Patonti.

"I thought you'd be here."

Kathryn turned around to see Freya standing there. The white haired noblewoman stared at her like a worried mother would to her daughter.

"You really aren't enjoying yourself," stated Freya.

"If I didn't know what this ball was for, I might have," Kathryn said as she groans from the tightness of the corset on her body. "It's a pain wearing these things."

"They are hard to breath in," Freya agrees with the princess.

Kathryn takes off her tiara and stared at it. She held it like an adventurer finding a relic in an unexplored cavern. She stared at the jewels covering the gold crown, seeing her reflection in them.

"Hey, Freya?" asked Kathryn.

"Yes, Princess Kathryn?" responded Freya.

"Are you happy with your life?"

Freya looked at Kathryn with confusion, wondering why she would ask that kind of question. But she answers anyway.

"Of course," Freya continued. "I am most fortunate to be the daughter of a lord than be a child of the slums."

Kathryn expected this kind of answer and decided to ask another question.

"But isn't there anything you want to do but can't because of your position in the hierarchy?" Kathryn asks.

"I want to beat you in a duel!" Freya answered with a gleam in her eyes.

I knew she was gonna say something like that. Kathryn groans and faced away from Freya, looking back at the view of the clockwork city over the castle walls.

Freya walked up to Kathryn, standing next to her, looking at the city lights as well.

"I don't want to get married right now...!especially an arranged one..." Kathryn whined.

"Well, you can't be queen without a king," Freya replied.

"But why do I need a king to rule the country?" Kathryn asked.

"You should already know this," Freya softly giggled. "A queen can't rule a country like Xagran on her own, neither can a king," she continued. "Having a king and queen shows the power and unity that a man and woman has when leading a country together."

Kathryn rests her head on the railing again along with her arms.

"I know that my parents' marriage was arranged and they turned out to be a compatible couple," Kathryn said, expressing her worries. "But I don't know if I'll be the same with whoever they choose for me..."

"You won't know until you give them the chance."

"But I don't want to know!" Kathryn exclaimed. "I'm-I'm too scared to know!"

Kathryn covered her face, hiding her worries from the noble. Freya frowns from seeing the princess in this pitiful state and attempted to lay a hand on her shoulder, until a rock suddenly hit her hand. Freya pulling her arm back as she hissed in pain.

"What in the bloody...!" exclaimed Freya as she rubs her hand. "Who threw that rock?!"

"Rock?" Kathryn raised a brow and saw another rock appear before her until it landed onto the railing.

Kathryn picked up the rock and looked at it before looking down over the railing. She saw a small figure but can already tell who it was.

A bright smile appeared on Kathryn's face. She turned to face Freya who had a pouty face, staring at the hand she was rubbing.

"Freya, I'm gonna go," Kathryn tells her.

"Wait, what?!" Freya was confused. "Go where?!"

Kathryn puts a hand on the floor and creates a yellow portal. "I'll be out for a bit, so if anyone asks, you didn't see me!"

"P-Princess Kathryn, wait!"

Before Freya could stop Kathryn, the Xagrian princess jumped into the portal before closing it.