Hina had two left feet. No matter how many times the teacher showed her, she wound up tripping herself up or hurting her partner. Many of the male students avoided her during those classes just because of her legendary clumsiness.

  Likewise, many avoided Hanako, due to her height. Not many guys matched her in tallness, and even few could boast having a few extra inches on her. A shame, as Hina’s best friend was a stoic beauty with a grace befitting an old Japanese family heiress. She had dance training as part of her upbringing and would most likely make an amazing dancer. But even without her intimidating height getting in the way, her personality also made it impossible for even the girls to approach her.

  So, as it was, the friends were outsiders once more, forced to watch as everyone else got to have fun, learning classic ballroom dances like the waltz as part of their physical education.

  Hanako’s gaze was not on the floor, though, gazed turned elsewhere as she leaned against the wall, cool as a cucumber, arms crossed over her chest.

  Hina, predictably, had brought a book with her to read while music filled the air as she would have no chance to try to dance. Not even the teacher had any hope for her, having had her feet crushed before many times in trying to instruct Hina; she left the graceless student alone to her devices.

  And as the class had a larger ratio of girls to boys, this resulted in Hanako also being without a partner, but since she had already proven her skills before, she was allowed to sit things out with her friend to keep her company.

  Some had been brave enough to approach the girl, Hina noticed, but Hanako had summarily refused the boys point blank. Even the girls who managed to pluck up the courage to also ask were let down bluntly, though they giggled as they ran off at the rejection.

  “You’re popular with boys and girls, Han-chan,” Hina remarked aloud. A turn of the page. “You know, you don’t need to stay here on the sidelines with me.”

  “Don’t be silly. Where else am I supposed to be?” Hanako answered, actually wearing a small frown. Ah, she seemed a bit more irritated than usual. Her gaze had gone outward towards the gymnasium floor, which drew Hina’s own curiosity.

  Following her line of sight, Hina saw, with a pang, Nao dancing with Hina’s ex-boyfriend, Ren.

  Ah, no wonder Hanako was mad.

  “...It’s in the past, you know. It just didn’t work out.”

  “Considering I’m the one who introduced the two of you, you can understand how unhappy I am with him right now.”

  “Hahahaha.”

  That had been quite the day, when Nao announced she and Ren were dating in class. Hina had been hurt, of course she had been. Ren and her had been dating for the better part of their first year of high school. And he had been so sweet, and then…he was suddenly not with her. Stolen by the glamorous Nao. Ren and Hanako had been just normal members of the kendo club at the time and that day during club activities, her best friend had pretty much humiliated her ex-boyfriend in a sparring match. And then some. As much as she had been upset by Ren’s betrayal, she actually felt pity for him.

  That break-up was only a month old, so the hurt was still present when Hina looked at them.

  She wanted to bury herself in her book, to forget the pain of reality by delving deeply into her favourite romances, filled with happy endings and wholesome love.

  A hand came into view.

  “Hey, Hina, do you want to dance?” Hanako asked, face set in a gentle expression.

  Flustered, Hina shook her head. “Wh-what? No way, I’ll just look dumb!”

  “No, you won't," Hanako insisted.

  “No, no, no, no. I will definitely not be able to keep up with you, Han-chan. Absolutely not!”

  Mental images of crunching Hanako’s toes as they danced came to mind, making Hina adamant about refusing her friend’s offer. Surely, it was meant as a kindness, one she should not accept. She was hurting and her friend was just trying to cheer her up.

  Hanako’s hand fell to her side and she sighed.

  “If you’re sure.” The other girl smiled tranquilly, but there was something melancholic in her eyes. Disappointment? Maybe she really did want to dance and nobody else was comfortable with her. Top it off with always staying by Hina’s side during class, it was a bit selfish of her to always keep her friend from enjoying herself, too, in exchange for all the supportive things she did for Hina.

  Feeling bad about saying no to her friend’s thoughtfulness, she said something she hoped could cheer her up.

  “Don’t worry! I’m sure someone will dance with you one day.”

  Hanako’s reaction was unexpected. A blank stare. No smile. No reply of affirmation or a laughter to brush her words off. She simply went back to her spot against the wall, back to quietly passing time during the dance class. Hina felt her stomach drop and spent the rest of class unable to read her book, worried her friend was upset. When class was over, Hanako was back to her usual self, as if nothing had happened, but Hina held onto an unknown feeling all day long after that interaction.

  “Maybe I should have said yes…”

  The Emperor’s birthday gala was a place where most took their first step into society or rather, a time to put their best foot forward at the beginning of the social season.

  Nobles put on their most resplendent clothes, trying to outshine one another and to vye for all the attention. Those who captured the hearts and eyes of everyone present were guaranteed to be the talk of society until summer’s end. Whether or not this would be positive was another story.

  Good or bad, Soleil did not want to grab anyone’s attention.

  She fussed with the sleeves of her dress, which was showing off her shoulders more than she’d liked. Despite the many yards of fabric, she felt decidedly naked. The dress was made of many layers of organza, the fabric sheer enough that if there weren’t many layers or a modesty shift underneath, one could see everything. It was amazing her mother had worn something like this. No one could see anything, but the material was just so light, she couldn’t help, but to worry.

  “Dear, don't worry, your dress is fine,” Orion assured her. He was his daughter’s escort; they were to be announced together once it was their turn to enter the grand hall. There were many families and couples standing in line, waiting for their names to be called before making their entrance.

  Just thinking about it made Soleil’s stomach churn uncontrollably. Just think fluffy thoughts, she told herself. Think about swirling skirts of pretty gowns, handsome men looking to find their true loves in a large, opulent crowd, think of all the delicious romance tropes all in one place.

  Yes, she was getting herself through her nervousness by thinking of romance tropes. Many things she found repeated themselves in her favourite stories were always some kind of royal ball, a hunting competition, a duke of the north and clandestine meetings. She had no idea if there was a competition to be held in the Empire, but she was sure to come face to face with the other tropes.

  The upper crust was surely going to be filled with handsome young men and beautiful young ladies. Overly busy looking suits with equally as fancy dresses. She wondered if some of the designs would be as gaudy as ones she’d seen in various webtoons and whether or not she could hold in the urge to laugh. Even back on Earth, the idea of ‘fashion’ was very loosely interpreted at times, so she may come across some very absurd outfits.

  Her own dress was old, a little outdated, no matter how much it was fixed to have more modern tastes incorporated. Hopefully because she looked a lot more plain and was a noble from the countryside, nobody would pay her much attention. She was going to blend in with the crowd and watch everything happen around her, like a fly on the wall. After all, the main reason she even came here was…

  “Presenting Baron and Baroness Howard!” resonated the cry of the master of ceremonies. His voice carried quite far and it had to, when announcing each guest of notable title. It became louder and louder the closer Soleil got.

  “Back straight my dear,” Orion whispered to his daughter. “Head high. Don’t forget to show your pride as my daughter and the pride of those back home.”

  Soleil nodded, holding herself a little higher next to her esteemed father as they took another step forward.

  All thoughts of watching budding romances bloom like roses on a summer’s day aside, Soleil’s objective was to confirm with her own two eyes just which timeline she had fallen into. Even if she didn’t feel it, she needed to exude confidence, to make it so that no one would question that she belonged with these other visiting nobles.

  “Presenting Count Lorainne and his daughter, young Lady Soleil Lorraine.”

  Here we go…!

  Like all other nobles, the doors to the grand hall were kept shut just until their names were announced. And when their names would be ringing throughout the hall would the doors swing open to admit them, welcoming them into the opulent world of the imperial court. The hallway that led to the grand hall was dimly lit, only brightened by simple candles at intervalled sconces, so when the door was opened, Soleil was temporarily blinded by the bright lights beyond. When the stars cleared, she could see the grand hall in all of its golden glory.

  The two of them stood at the top of a grand staircase that led downward to the main ballroom floor, where many were currently mingling in their fine jewels and clothes, showing off their wealth and gossiping about their influences. Some glanced up at them, but then soon turned away, going back to more interesting topics.

  Soleil let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding in.

  The first hurdle jumped!

  “Oh, Soleil, I see a few of my former comrades in arms over there. Will you be alright on your own?” Orion asked.

  “I’ll be fine, father. You go talk with your colleagues.”

  “All right, dear. I’ll see you soon.”

  Standing on her toes, she kissed her father on his cheek before he left to talk with a group of older men off to the side. Soleil decided to stand closer to the way, out of the way of everyone, out of sight.

  So this was the first stage of the events to unfold. There were several things meant to happen now.

  First, the Emperor and Empress would be making their appearance after almost every guest had arrived.

  Secondly, the male lead and female lead of the Saint’s Thorny Road would make an entrance together.

  Third, Duke Sinclair should also be arriving after all of them. Although their mention had become something of a footnote as the focus in the book had been on the growing feelings between the leads as they shared a dance. So it would be interesting for Soleil to actually see them, especially if things don’t turn out well and she would have to be able to recognize the Duke at a glance, should an alternative route to stay alive be needed.

  Soleil touched her throat worriedly. She did not fancy being hanged, thank you very much.

  There was one more event that could be triggered, but only if the first two happened, as it centered around Alperene.

  See, like many well used tropes, there was always a villainess who got in the way of the female lead’s happiness. Sometimes, she took on the role of a classist bully who was jealous of the protagonist’s abilities. Other times she was engaged to one of the possible romantic routes, usually the male lead’s. And many times she tended to be both.

  In the Saint’s Thorny Road, this role was covered by the spoiled and irrational Lady Nicolette Eglantine Beaumont. During the gala she made a scene of spilling her drink onto Alperene’s dress and insulting her in front of everyone. She hysterically shouted at Alperene to leave as her closeness with the Crown Prince was inappropriate, considering he was engaged. Darius, fed up with Nicolette as this wasn’t the first time she’d acted so irrationally, had called off the engagement right then and there. Honestly, Soleil had been glad that Nicolette had such a short screen time as she was in and out before she knew it, giving way to the fluffy romance bits right away.

  Of course, looking at that situation, the Crown Prince isn’t exactly wholly innocent. In a novel it’s one thing to dump your fiancée, but it’s another to do so in real life because you happened to meet someone you like more. The readership never got any details on the bigger picture concerning their relationship beyond a few casually thrown in sentences here and there, where Darius would compare Alperene to his crazy ex. And all of them were basically the result of insecurity, weren’t they? That kind of dimmed the prince’s glowing light in Soleil’s eyes a little when she thought about the reality of it all.

  Darius was good to Alperene though and never strayed from her, so that made up for being kind of sleazy to use the situation to break away from a woman he didn’t like and publicly humiliate her, by using another one he happened to like better and had only just met.

  Actually, no, that didn’t make up for it. That’s actually pretty manipulative?!

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  It was such a normal trope to see in romance fiction, so she never thought about it critically before. Most readers would never catch on to the undertones of infidelity and manipulation. A male lead who was unfaithful or cruel was simply unfathomable, because he was always good to the heroine. But the audience only ever got to see the best side of him, never anything else.

  I understand that Nicolette can be a bit much, but according to the novel, Darius hardly ever said a word to her unless it was necessary. That kind of shows a rather immature side to someone meant to be the Empire's future ruler, wasn’t it? If he wanted to break things off, he could have done it behind closed doors. Actually, every prince who breaks it off so openly deserves a smack in the head. Politically speaking, this was actually a very dumb move! No matter how bad your partner’s personality was, why did nobody communicate?!

  These were the thoughts that consumed Soleil for most of the evening, making her miss when many approached her for a dance. Even when someone was trying to get her attention by waving their hands in front of her face, she was so up in her head, she basically gave many the impression of an airhead. There were whispers, but they would not reach her ears until after the gala was over.

  She eventually gravitated to a table spread with food while she pondered over tropes in the romance genre and whether or not they were toxic standards for impressionable young girls to over glorify. Absently she filled a plate, wondering if she needed to reassess what she consumed as media, when she put in the first morsel of food into her mouth.

  The explosion of exquisite flavor finally snapped her back to the present and she had to fight from making too much noise as she delighted in how good the food was.

  “Oh, that was delicious,” she said to herself. Back home in Lorainne they had good food, as most of the land was dedicated to farming, so the freshest vegetables and some of the most delectable meats were always served at the family manor. But palace food was on a whole different level. Soleil’s cheeks were positively rosy with happiness, her earlier conspiracy minded thoughts cleared out now by the tastiness of food. She felt cheered up.

  Well, whatever the case, Darius is good to Alperene in the end, and he’s the catalyst to helping our female lead solve the problems of the doomed timeline. There really was no point in thinking too hard about it.

  Maybe I could divert Nicolette? Soleil thought as she popped another hors d'oeuvre into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully.

  Actually, no I can’t, she mused regretfully. As much as I’d like to save Alperene the trouble, if Darius isn’t free to pursue her, it would just complicate the Hell out of everything.

  Soleil clapped her hands twice, before sending a silent prayer for the female lead.

  Sorry Alperene!

  “Attention everyone!”

  Soleil looked up from her meal as the master of ceremonies called out to all attending. The presentations of nobles had ebbed down for a while, so his voice had been given time to rest before making his largest introduction of the night. All who were in attendance turned to face the grand staircase in order to receive the guest of honor and his lady.

  “Presenting the shining stars of the Empire. Emperor Roman Felix Aurea and Empress Lucretia Cecilia Aurea. All hail the Northern and Southern stars of the Empire!”

  “All hail the Northern and Southern stars of the Empire!” Soleil echoed with everyone else. Meanwhile, in her mind, she was glad it wasn’t the ‘Sun and the Moon’. Back on Earth she had seen and heard it so many times in webtoons, she’d wondered if there was nothing else to compare the leaders of a nation to. Or maybe that was just a Korean culture thing?

  The imperial couple arrived at the very top, wearing resplendent gold outfits with intricate designs. Much to her expectations, the Emperor himself was wearing many medals, medallions, pins and many busy elements that made it hard to decide on where to look. His face had many lines, but he had a dignified handsomeness to him that still made women unable to look away. His wife, the Empress, was also gorgeous for her age. A graceful lady with poise oozing out of every pore. Her dress was glorious and needed an attendant to walk behind her in order to keep her train from becoming dirty. The two made a beautiful picture just from looks alone.

  However, for the romanced-brained Soleil, what truly made this couple the most lovely in the room was because of how the Emperor looked at his one and only Empress with such quiet adoration; in turn when she caught his gaze, the corners of her eyes crinkled in quiet affection.

  This! This was the kind of thing she loved seeing. 10/10 relationship goals!

  Will I ever get to be in a relationship like that? If all went well, Soleil would be safely living out the rest of her life. Once she confirmed the timeline, she could look for her own perfect romance, get married and have babies. The perfect happy ending for a side character like her! She missed out in her old life, so she would make the most of it in this one.

  The Emperor and Empress moved around the hall, greeting guests together. Many well wishes for the Emperor on his birthday were made by those who sincerely meant it and those who simply wished to curry favor. Sometimes Soleil thought she heard foreign words; even other countries made sure to send representatives to continue good relations between nations.

  The imperial couple actually stood in front of Soleil and she panicked a bit as she curtseyed to them.

  “Greetings to the stars of the Empire. And happy birthday, your majesty,” she said quickly.

  The Emperor chuckled at her greeting, gesturing for her to raise her head.

  “You must be…Count Lorainne’s daughter, yes?” he asked.

  “Oh, yes, sir – your majesty!”

  “I haven’t seen you since you were very little. You’ve grown up so much! Your father enjoys hiding you and your mother, so we all thought we would never see you again.”

  “Ah, is that so, your majesty?”

  She never knew Soleil had met the emperor before. It was never mentioned in the novel and combing through her own memories brought nothing. She must have been very young when it happened.

  Her majesty, the Empress Lucretia also chimed in. “Oh, yes. Your mother was my friend and when you were born, your family lived in the capital for a time. In fact, you spent your infant years in the palace while your father worked hard to defend our Empire. The Crown prince used to play with you all the time.”

  Man, this was awkward. Soleil did not remember any of that and her own parents never mentioned anything. As far as she could remember, she’d always lived in the Lorainne territory and never ventured outside once. What a revelation.

  Empress Lucretia smiled gently, understanding that her words may have been confusing, so she said, “Well, it has been many years. You were four when you returned to your own territory with your family. But it was such a lovely time, having the sound of happy, playing children in the palace. It was like you were a part of the family.”

  Soleil had nothing to say to that, so she merely smiled and nodded.

  “I should try to find your father. It has been a year since we last spoke,” the Emperor mentioned, giving the young lady a convenient out that Soleil was appreciative of.

  The young noble curtsied once more to the imperial couple, this time with more grace and poise than when she had first greeted them. As awkward as things got, the two of them had a very soothing and calm demeanor to them. Their presence was not at all imposing. She even felt surprisingly at ease. The two were easy to talk to once you got over their titles.

  “Yes, that’s true and we still have so many people left to greet,” Empress Lucretia agreed. The older woman reached out and touched Soleil’s cheek in an almost motherly way. “It was so good to see you, Soleil. You remind me so much of your mother, seeing you was like seeing Asteria again. Enjoy the party, my dear.”

  “Yes, do enjoy! Hahaha! You’re only young once, after all!” the Emperor chimed in. “And if you see my errant son, don’t be shy to greet him as well. He would be happy to see you.”

  Not a chance, Soleil thought vehemently. “I certainly shall. Have a good evening, your majesties.”

  After another nod, the Emperor and Empress continued making the rounds through the grand hall.

  Soleil felt like she could collapse just then, feeling as if she’d held her breath for a while without realizing it.

  Who knew she had that kind of history? Soleil had been nothing, but an ordinary daughter of a noble family in the novel who failed the Saint trials, who knew she had a richer history with the imperial family?

  I wonder if I was supposed to have a bigger role in the grander scheme of things? Soleil mused, going back to snacking on the food at the buffet table. A history like that is rife with antagonistic possibilities in most romance media. For all I know, I could be another obstacle in the relationship between Alperene and Prince Darius, fueled by jealousy at seeing a childhood friend together with the female lead, coupled also with dealing with being rejected as the Saint. An NPC from the first volume, showing up as the new villainess in the second volume. That’d be a decent twist.

  Still, had she not attended she would have never found out about this part of her past. Soleil never went to the gala herself, so maybe that was why it never factored in the original novel’s plot and she became an extra who popped in for a few sentences and then popped right back out. It was nice to learn these facts though, from a personal and otaku standpoint. It was like being behind the scenes of making a movie!

  “You there. Who are you exactly?”

  Just when Soleil thought she could relax after speaking with the Emperor and Empress, someone else had come to talk to her, albeit rudely. No greeting, no self introduction, just straight into demanding her identity. Everyone was on equal footing when they were strangers, but it was always safe to say that in such a setting, everyone had some kind of title to respect, lower or not. At the very least, a simple greeting was in order.

  The young lady turned towards the speaker and faced the person speaking to her.

  “Ah, pardon me? Do I know you?” Soleil inquired carefully. Some her dusty etiquette lessons, this was the subtle way of saying something like ‘that was rude, but I will acknowledge you, regardless because I am not rude’.

  The woman before her was yet another gorgeous specimen of a flower in her youth. With cascading ringlets of lavender coloured hair, an aristocratic, upturned nose and green eyes (filled with disdain and envy), she was a beauty to look at in her expensive ballgown and ostentatious jewelry. A held fan tapped her other hand impatiently , as if she could barely hold back the scathing words she wanted to spew at Soleil for some perceived slight.

  “What sort of noble doesn’t know who I am?” the other girl asked, voice carrying insult in it. Had she worn any pearls, Soleil could just imagine her clutching them.

  “Many pardons, my lady. I have come from a modest territory in the southern countryside and news from the capital tends to be slow in arrival.” In other words ‘how am I supposed to know I just got here’.

  The other woman’s fan snapped open with a click of the other girl’s tongue. “Hmph! So you’re just a country noble, then? You have some gall speaking so familiarly with his Majesty and her Majesty.”

  “I merely gave my greetings to the stars of our Empire.” Read: ‘they came over to me first’. “May I know the name of your esteemed self, my lady? I am Soleil Lorainne. A pleasure to meet you.”

  Honestly, not at all. I feel as if I’m dealing with Nao from my old life all over again. The same unpleasant air, the same unpleasant personality and the tendency to get upset over nothing and her insistence on standing out. It was exactly the same. Soleil prayed that the dreadful Nao hadn’t somehow followed her into this life.

  Please novel gods, she begged, I don’t want to deal with that sort of plot twist.

  “Presenting Count Windsor and Countess Windsor!” The master of ceremonies shouted over the din of the gala; some straggler were starting to trickle in. A sign that the male lead and the female lead would be coming at any moment. Many more names were being called out as Soleil was locked up in a confrontation.

  “My name is Nicolette Eglantine Beaumont, heiress of the Beaumont family, daughter of Marchess Beaumont and future empress of Aurea. You would do your best to remember that and show me the proper respect accorded to my rank.”

  Ah, I had a thought it was her. She has extreme ‘ojou-sama’ vibes, after all. Soleil did a curtsey as some more names were announced in the background. She barely picked out the name as she was busy trying to deal with Nicolette, but she hadn’t heard the telltale names of the Crown Prince or Alperene just yet. However, she wished to get this meeting done with as little damage to herself as possible. Nicolette was famous for flying off the handle for any small thing, after all. It was easier to just bow her head than to anger her and draw her attention.

  As her head bowed to give deference to her, she felt a slap of the fan on the back of her head. It stung, but it wasn’t a super hard hit. More than anything she was shocked that the other girl would so brazenly act like this in front of others, future empress or not. Surely she had received proper etiquette and decorum lessons like everyone else, right? Even Soleil, who would readily admit herself as a country bumpkin, had still been subjected to such classes to prepare herself for adult life as a noble.

  Soleil did not bother to raise her head in case Nicolette decided to smack her face instead. With the imperial couple busy greeting others and most nobles never wishing to get involved with each other (especially when the unstable Nicolette was involved), there would be no rescue from this predicament.

  “You should know your place.” Another smack. “I don’t know what your relationship is with his and her Majesty, but from now on never speak to them again, do you understand? If you think you can weasel your way into their graces, think again!” A third smack.

  All Soleil could think of was that the imperial couple were simply making the rounds and small talk. Had Nicolette honestly gone around harassing everyone they spoke with? No wonder the court hated her. Soleil had to dig deep into her memories of her old life to remember how such a nasty person even got engaged to the Crown Prince in the first place. Nothing specific came to mind, since she was basically a throwaway villainess.

  No wonder Darius didn’t like talking to her, she’s just mean. I guess after enough incidents he could finally get rid of her. Still didn’t make her getting embarrassed on a large scale right, but perhaps the shock of it all would set her straight.

  Please, Alperene and Darius…come here quick!

  “Are you even listening to me? Respond to your betters when they speak to you.”

  “I was merely greeting them, Lady Nicolette. I did not mean any offense to anyone.”

  “You…!”

  Another name was called out, louder than the rest – perhaps as loud as when the Emperor and the Empress had been introduced to the crowd.

  “Introducing the sword of the Empire. Duke Florian Evanthe Sinclair!”

  Everyone was surprised, including Soleil, though for different reasons.

  The crowd, in awe, because the duke never made an appearance to the social scene before, preferring to stay in their land and never participating in the cloak and dagger and political backstabbing and maneuvering that court was prone to. It’d been many years since anyone from Sinclair had appeared in the capital.

  For Soleil, her blood ran cold, because the Duke was the very last to arrive at the gala, after the Crown Prince arrived, escorting Alperene. Casting her eyes around confirmed the dreaded suspicion she had growing within her chest.

  They were in the doomed timeline.

  Neither prince nor future Saint were anywhere to be seen.

  Despite the general hush that befell the room, Nicolette, too self absorbed to notice, continued to abuse Soleil.

  “Who said you could raise your head?” she demanded, holding her fan up now, ready to strike Soleil for her insolence.

  Everything happened so quickly.

  Soleil, fully expecting to be slapped with the fan, tried to shield herself from the bow. Nicolette’s hand swooped down to deal it.

  There were rushed footsteps and then a shriek.

  But it had not come from Soleil’s own lips.

  An item clattered to the ground – the fan. Knocked out of a surprised Nicolette’s fingers by an imposing figure.

  And following this, a smooth, husky voice speaking to Soleil.

  “Lady Soleil Lorainne, are you all right?”

  Their eyes met and she saw familiar sharp, sunset red eyes staring right back at her.

  The eyes of the lady knight who helped her earlier that day.

  The woman wore a pleasant smile, despite the situation and the way she was now holding Nicolette back from continuing with her shameful behaviour. A hand firmly on the girl’s wrist as she stared up in horror at the older woman.

  Dressed elegantly in black, a dramatic cape with a fur trim, with simple, but lovely gold accents and a circlet upon her head whose hair was carefully tied back into a braided bun, the woman did not look to be some simple knight. Upon her chest was a badge, with the emblem that signified just who she was, or at least where she came from.

  Soleil realized she hadn’t answered the question.

  “Oh, yes. I’m fine now, thank you…erm…”

  The smile widened, though there was something sinister in it (and it probably had to do with the girl the lady knight had been holding onto this whole time) and Soleil felt a little uneasy. As if some great big secret she wasn’t supposed to know yet was coming out. A deep, dark spoiler for the plot of a book she had not yet read…

  “Oh, my apologies. I realized I forgot to tell you who I was when we met earlier.”

  Looking not at all sorry, she proudly introduced herself.

  “I am Duke Florian Evanthe Sinclair. A pleasure to meet you again, Lady Soleil.”