The ride was smooth through the square and toward the castle on the hill. You didn't comment on Lord Isembart, and he kept silent, looking outside the window. Neither of you spoke until the carriage stopped outside of the golden castle. Lord Isembart got out of the carriage and offered you his hand this time. 

   " Arlutrix set the carriage and met me inside. As a servant, you must stay near me and in my eye sight. "

   " Yes, my lord. "

Arlutrix whipped the horses, and they pulled the carriage away from the castle's entrance. With your hand still in his, Lord Isembart started toward the entrance, where everyone else was heading. Around you, women were dressed in elegant gowns that seemed to be made of the rarest material. Men wore their best clothes and wrapped one of the regal woman's arms around them. Entering the golden castle, you saw more beautiful gold decor, with a mix of red here and there through the hall. 

Before going any further, Lord Isembart stopped and looked outside the castle. Peeking outside, you spotted Arlutrix coming up the stairs, with his robes flying behind him, as he was fast to come up the steps. Arlutrix met you and Lord Isembart at the top of the stairs, slightly out of breath.

   " Alright, let us be going. "

Lord Isembart continued forward, disconnecting his arm from yours. Arlutrix stayed behind you and Lord Isembart as you walked toward the doors into the ballroom. The sparkling doors ahead of you were closed, but two guards soon opened them, revealing the large ballroom with people dancing at the bottom of the stairs. 

   " Lord Isembart and Lady Y/n! " The announcer shouted to everyone in the hall.

Lord Isembart smiled, liking the recognition, and started walking down the stairs, grabbing your hand to follow him. Arlutrix followed behind, not saying a word. There were many people in the crowd, but a certain happy shriek, erupted, and you recognized the voice. 

   " Lord Isembart, it's lovely to see you here! "

Your mother ran toward Lord Isembart and hugged him before turning to you. Her smile dimmed slightly, and the corners of her lips turned downward for a second. 

   " Honey, you look. . .nice. I honestly thought the dress would look great on you, but it seems it was better off you and in he box. "

   ' Who says that to their daughter? ' You questioned.

Your mother returned to talk with Lord Isembart while your father hugged and complimented you, even though you knew his compliments were wrong. Nevertheless, he was trying, and you appreciated that. Then, while your fiance was distracted, you fled from his side. The room was packed, but you made it to the other side of the big circle, where everyone was dancing. The number of people in the room didn't bother you, but what bothered you was the rude people that would bump into you and continue walking without an apology.

But you made no comment toward them and let them go; you knew it wasn't worth your time to turn and argue with them. 

   " My lady! "

Behind you, Arlutrix shouted for his lady, and you turned around to hear his shout. Your eyes connected with Arlutrix's, and he made his way through people to get to you. Arlutrix was slick, maneuvering through people and not letting anyone bump his shoulder. It was like he had turned into a snake and slithered through the crowd. When he was in front of you, he took your upper arm ins his hand, holding you gently.

   " Why did you walk away? My master will worry. "

   " If he worries, he can come to find me. I am just walking around, there is no harm in that. "

   " With this many people, it is. Please be careful my lady. "

   " Arlutrix, I'm fine. I was looking for something to entertain me. "

Arlutrix's turquoise eyes stayed with your own before looking toward the circle of dancing people. His eyes were quick, but you caught him glancing into the crowd of ladies dancing with their husbands, lovers, and friend. Then, Arlutrix held his hand toward you and bowed slightly.

   " My lady, allow me to entertain you with a dance. "

   " Are you sure? Won't this look--"

   " I am merely keeping my lady entertained as she wants. "

With Arlutrix's sentence cutting off your own, you didn't find it in you to argue and placed your hand within his. The man guided you to the circle of dancing ladies and gentlemen. Then before entering the crowd, he got in a dancing position with his hand resting on your waist while his other hand held yours tightly. You placed your open hand on his warm skin, feeling comfortable. When he saw you were ready, Arlutrix joined the groups of people dancing and twirling around. You kept dancing with Arlutrix at the speed the others were dancing. 

Though the dress you were wearing was constricting, and you could hardly move. Your waist was squeezed so tightly that it was hard to breathe. Arlutrix noticed you were having trouble moving around to keep up with him and slowed. Behind your back, he waved two of his fingers with pink sparks emitting them. The sparks were so tiny that no one would see, and everyone was moving so fast no one would notice the change. Your dress started to change, with the pink sparks changing the design and fabric.

You could breathe and felt your lungs expand as you twirled, sending the tiny pink sparks off your dress and disappearing on the floor. The stress showed royalty and touched the floor, with the sleeves shortening and wrapping around the sides of your shoulders as fabric draped on your upper arms. The dress length stayed the same, but it wasn't so tight around your figure, and you found that you could move more easily. The dress remained red in honor of the Isembart household. 

   ' That's better. ' Arlutrix thought. 

   ' How did it change? ' You thought.

You knew the dress had transformed into something else because you could move more quickly and breathe. Arlutrix had something to do with it, and slowly you connected the dots to how it changed. 

   ' He's a mage. '

Now, you realized that if you escaped, you might be found sooner than you would want. But you would still need to take the risk and run. You liked dancing with Arlutrix, but you knew it would be better to start your plan sooner rather than later. So, to start the show, you stumbled and pretended to fall.

   " My lady! "

Arlutrix held you up and walked you out of the crowd. Once free from the dance, you placed your hand on your forehead as if feeling pain. Arlutrix grew worried, afraid that his magic gave you some sickly side effects. 

   " My lady, what is wrong? "

   " I don't feel so well, Arlutrix. I suddenly feel ill. "

The mage thought for a moment before wrapping his arm under your legs and around your back, lifting you from the floor.

   " Maybe, you did get sick from your dear friends. I shall escort you home and return to inform Lord Isembart of this development. "

   " Thank you, Arlutrix. "

You leaned your head against his chest, pretending to be faint, and Arlutrix took the bait. He hurried to the carriage with you in his arms. After reaching the carriage, he placed you inside and jumped on the seat in front of the carriage. Then, he whipped the horses to run, and they galloped through the square toward the Isembart Manor. In the carriage, without Arlutrix seeing, you pulled out some white corn starch and dabbed it on your face to make you look pale. 

Arlutrix stopped the horses at the house, opened the door to the carriage, and saw that your pace was paler, making his worry grow. Quickly, he picked you up to get inside the house. The mage traveled through the house toward your room, setting you underneath the bed blankets.

   " My lady, what tea would you like? You need something to drink, to help. "

   " Green tea would be fine, Arlutrix. "

Arlutrix nodded and ran down the stairs to the kitchen. You knew you couldn't tell him to leave you alone because he would insist on bringing medicine or tea. The smell of green tea entered your system as Arlutrix entered your room with the tea in his hand.

   " Here is your tea, my lady. Is there anything I can get you before I return? "

   " No, please go ahead and inform, Lord Isembart of my illness. "

Arlutrix nodded and disappeared from the house. When you heard the sound of the carriage getting farther away, you jumped from the bed. You stripped the elegant red dress from your body, placing the dress on the bed. You hastily grabbed the dress and boots from the closet, putting the clothes on. The dress fit perfectly, with the boots, comfortable to run in. From under your pillow, you took the rope and tied it around the split in the window sill. 

   ' Alright, I'm ready. '

You put the traveling bag on and held the basket in your arm. Then, you sat on the open window with the rope wrapped around your wrist. First, you took a deep breath before jumping out of the window. Then, your body dangled from the rope, and you placed your legs against the house wall, slowly climbing down, escaping the Isembart Manor.