Over the next few days leading up to the ball, we scoured over every piece of information we could get our hands on and still we didn't find anything. Just when we thought we were nearing the end, the table becoming clear once again with all of the stacks of paper on the floor, servants arrived with even more information for Kayne and I to search through. Just how many interactions had Racaea had with Icrodeia?

During the evenings, I returned to the blacksmiths to see Auron and Trik with concerned and suspicious looks upon their faces. I never had time to talk to them though, all I did was sleep and head straight for the archives again as soon as I awoke. Thankfully, the castle provided us with meals to eat as we worked and they were some of the best meals I had ever eaten.

It left the two males guessing as to what was going on. They whispered to each other, occasionally stifling laughter as I walked past, discussing what they thought was happening in my life. Auron had more of an idea, but I still didn't know if he had told Trik of my engagement to Kayne.

Occasionally, when I returned to the table piled with papers in the morning, I would find the prince asleep where he sat. His head would either be settled against his chest uncomfortably, or it would be resting against the desk. I tried to draw a moustache above his lip the first time I had caught him with the pen I always kept on me, so I would have something to entertain myself as I worked, but he awoke before I could succeed.

While Kayne always appeared to seem bored beyond comparison, I enjoyed looking at the snippets of information from Icrodeia. It was fun learning the small details about my homeland. The names of spices that could only be grown in the kingdom's cold climate, how the most common trade between our two lands was wolf pelts. I felt as if I was growing closer and closer to knowing what it was like to live there.

Now, it was the morning of the ball and we still had yet to find anything. My gown that Miss Brynn was supposedly making still hadn't arrived and I had to admit I was becoming a little nervous. Would it even arrive before the ball commenced? What would I wear if it didn't? Perhaps we had been too absorbed in searching for clues to the motive for Icrodeia's plans that we had forgotten to be briefed on how the night would go.

Twisting my head from side to side to relieve the tension in my neck and stretching my arms out in front of me, I adjusted my position so that I would be more comfortable. My eyes mindlessly scanned the page I held, tracing over the list of imports and exports from particular regulars. It was difficult to decide what was deemed important and what was irrelevant, especially when obscure items were being traded such as supposed enchantments and magically bound objects.

As I came across a certain word that stood out to me, I sat up stiffly in my chair. Trik Whitmore. He had so many trades with Icrodeia, so much so that it took up pages and pages to list them all entirely. They consisted of metals that could only be bought in that kingdom, expensive jewels from rich families to be used on the fancier items he made, and, of course, the exports of the products he made for customers located there.

My sudden movements grabbed Kayne's attention. "What? Did you find something?"

Why was I even looking through every single deal Trik had made with Icrodeia? It felt like invading his privacy, yet something urged me to continue. As I neared the end of the list, something stuck out to me even more.

"I-" my reply got caught in my throat as I read the section I was looking at over and over again.

The prince rose from his chair and stood behind me, leaning over my shoulder so he could get a glimpse at what had me speechless. I could feel his breath against my neck, tickling my skin. Usually, his closeness would have made me blush, but it was pushed to the back of my mind.

Small child - female. That was what was written in the column for items being traded, which, surprisingly, wasn't the information that shocked me the most. I knew I was sold to Racaea, so it was going to have been recorded somewhere. However, in the column for trading partners were two names: Carmin Sephiran and Jasper Sephiran. Were those my parents?

I could clearly remember the day I was taken, sold, and the journey in between where I had been trapped in a cage intended for a small animal. There had only been one man overseeing his goods, so who were these people?

Sephiran. Was that my surname? Did I not have to be just Sabre anymore? Plain, old Sabre. A nobody as Trik wouldn't allow Auron or I to use his last name. Could I be Sabre Sephiran?

Kayne placed a firm hand on my shoulder and pulled me into his chest, wrapping his other arm around me for a hug. "It's okay," he whispered.

I didn't know when, but tears had started forming in my eyes and had spilt over onto my cheeks. Silent drops of water that arrived alone, no sobs leaving my chest.

Had Trik known? All this time, he'd known I'd had a surname and kept it from me. I could have found my parents by now if I had been told. There could have been the conclusion that I needed as to why I was even sold in the first place. Some father figure Trik was, I thought as the paper I held scrunched in my closed fists.

The prince's embrace was nice, his touch warm and soft, something I hadn't realised I had needed and craved until now. "We should take a break. Why don't we take a walk around the castle to clear our minds? Perhaps we can see how your gown is coming along?"

Nodding, I stood, making Kayne take a step back from me with a slight colour in his cheeks. Clearing our thoughts would be best as it would allow us to see things our minds had become accustomed to over the days we had been reading through the information. But all I wanted to do was question Trik.

Taking one last longing look at the paper I had held, at my own potential family, I followed Kayne out into the courtyard. When I next laid eyes on the blacksmith, I would question him until I had the answers I wanted.

We wandered around the paths lined with thorned rose bushes that bore golden petals and passed the occasional neatly trimmed hedge statue of previous High Fae monarchs. The ground beneath us was made of alabaster-white gravel which created clouds of dust whenever the wind blew too fiercely or someone walked too quickly.

I expected the courtyard to be quiet and peaceful as there weren't many people in the castle who had the opportunity to spend time in it, but it was quite crowded. Ladies chatted together under lace parasols and lords sat together on benches in heated discussions. They had to be here for the ball.

"Prince Kayne!" A woman greeted as she walked out to us. She curtsied deeply to her prince and only spared me a glance. "It's wonderful to see you again."

"Lady Lorella," Kayne returned, his tone cold to hide the lingering dread I could tell he felt. So this was the famed Lady Lorella he was going to marry if my plan failed. "You've arrived early, the ball isn't until later this evening."

"Of course." She smiled sweetly, one that felt as though it had been practised in a mirror. "I wanted to speak to you before then, or at least my father wants me to."

The prince raised a brow at her confession and chose to ignore it, linking his arm with mine. "I believe you haven't met my fiancé yet. This is Lady Sabre."

I watched as her throat bobbed as she swallowed whatever hatred she felt. "Ah, I haven't seen you around before." A mixture of surprise and distress appeared on her features. It was obvious from the way she acted that she only wanted to marry Kayne for either the money or the status of queen.

"I usually don't spend time with people who bring no value to Racaea." A sweet smile turned up the corners of my own lips. If Lorella was going to persist in annoying Kayne in her venture for marriage, I could at least have a little fun with it. Besides, I still needed to find a way to release the anger that had built up within me from the discovery I had made about Trik.

The prince threw a subtle, amused look my way, stifling his laughter, before turning back to the suitor.

Lorella's eye twitched in frustration. "You've picked a suitor already? Before the ball? That cannot be right."

"It is right, Lady Sabre is the perfect fit for me and our kingdom. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have important places to be." Kayne steered us towards the castle. A balcony from further up on its walls created a shelter beside one of the entrances, perfect for any unforeseen downpours or to hide in the shadows.

I couldn't help but laugh. "You really don't like the suitors, do you?" Even though we had walked away, our arms were still linked. It was a comforting reassurance, one that I didn't want to let go of.

"Oh? How could you-" before he could finish his words, another voice called out his name from the courtyard. He ducked behind a marbled pillar that held up the balcony, pulling me with him.

I fell forward into the prince's chest, pain shooting up the bridge of my nose as it collided with the muscle. My hands landed on either side of him on the stone, allowing me to quickly right myself and step backwards. So I couldn't get too far away, Kayne wrapped an arm around my waist to hold me close, making sure I wasn't visible to whoever he was hiding from. I wasn't pushed up against him completely, but it was a lot closer than I would have liked to be.

A look of dread washed over Kayne as he peered around the pillar. "It's another suitor. Why won't they leave me alone?"

"Excuse me, your highness and my lady," a servant spoke from beside us, causing us both to jump. "Lady Sabre is requested to pick up her dress and prepare for the ball this evening." It was a young boy who didn't even look past the age of ten, and yet he still wore a servant's uniform. How had he landed himself a job?

"Already? I can understand picking up the gown, but we still have around six hours until the ball. Do I really need to prepare now?" How long did it take to get ready for a ball? And how early was I intended to arrive?

"It's to leave time for any dress adjustments and I've been told the usual preparations take around four hours." His sentence seemed to spill out of his mouth too perfectly, like it had been rehearsed.

I looked at Kayne's desperation and then at the servant again, a smile forming on my lips. "Well, if you insist."

"Wait," the prince began, reaching out to grab me and failing as I started to walk away. "Sabre, don't leave me. If you do, I'll have nothing to use as leverage and I'll be hunted like a deer surrounded by a pack of wolves!"

"Perhaps you shouldn't be outside? You could go and hide somewhere inside the castle to avoid them?" I suggested. He was a prince, surely he had put up with people chasing his attention for days at a time before. What were a few hours?

"I can't." Kayne paled. "I have other duties to attend to before the ball."

I shrugged, walking backwards beside the servant. "That's such a shame. Good luck, Kay!"

Are you excited for the ball that starts in the next chapter? ;)