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Ruby was startled to her core when she heard a voice from outside the door. “No, no, no! I cannot be caught!” She quickly turned to look at the window of her room with the intention to escape.

However, before she could even properly think about doing that, a maid who had been closely serving Ruby during her stay in the castle pushed the door open.

“Miss Ruby!” She instantly widened her eyes and then ran inside the room to hold Ruby’s hands. “Where were you for all these days? The Crown Pri- Er... the King looked for you everywhere! He even mobilized the soldiers to look for you in the town. Do you even know how much you have troubled him by disappearing?”

Ruby had no idea that Everard had mobilized the soldiers to look for her in the town. That touched Ruby’s heart a little. However, she was still sad thinking that Everard wasn’t looking for him anymore.

“But all his troubles also disappeared when I disappeared, didn’t it?”

“What? No! He-”

“He isn’t looking for me anymore, is he? I bet he has already forgotten that I ever existed.” Ruby gave a sad smile and looked down.

But the maid disagreed. “Miss Ruby! Why are you even thinking such things? For all I know, the King has been a mess ever since you disappeared. I heard from other maids that he often passes out from drinking excessively. And even in his unconscious state, he keeps on asking for you.”

.....

Ruby looked at the maid to see if whatever she was saying was true or if she was just making things up to make her feel better. It didn’t look as though the maid was lying. Still, she asked skeptically, “He kept on asking for me?”

“Yes. One of the maids heard him asking about you yesterday.” The maid narrowed her eyes and complainingly said, “She was so jealous of you. She was saying bad things about you so I even scolded her.”

Ruby subtly smiled and tightly gripped that maid’s hands. Then she thankfully said, “I am grateful that you took my side. But you don’t have to pick fights with other maids because of me. I won’t be staying in the castle anymore, but you will. So, you will have to get along with-”

“What are you even saying?” the maid frowned at Ruby. “Aren’t you hearing what I am saying? The King needs you, Miss Ruby. You cannot just abandon him and leave the castle.”

“Oh, you don’t know the things that he said to me, Alma. He-”

“Oh, but I do. I...” Alma looked down at their hands and spoke while sounding a little disheartened, “I heard it from the others how he shouted at you and... what kinds of things he said.” She looked back into Ruby’s eyes and said, “But I swear to the goddess that he still deeply cares about you.”

“Right!” Alma’s eyes twinkled suddenly when she said, “If you don’t believe me then you can go and check the guest list for tonight’s ball. I saw your name on it. He must have put your name there hoping that you would come.”

She slightly tilted her head to the side and emphasized, “Today is the big day for him after all. I think that he expects to see you tonight. So, why don’t you go to the ball and meet the King?”

Ruby simply looked away, not sure what to think anymore. She had already made up her mind that she was going to run away, and disappear from Everard’s life for good. However, after listening to Alma, she was in a dilemma.

A conflict between her heart and her mind was going on. Her heart was telling her to listen to Alma and believe her. Her mind was urging her to leave without showing her face to Everard. She was sure that if she saw him again, the resolve that she had built about running away would weaken or disappear altogether.

She gulped her tears and looked at the wardrobe full of clothes and jewelry. And she thought to herself, ‘I should just leave. He might just be asking about me because he feels guilty. But I don’t want an apology or sympathy from him. That’s not what I want from him anymore...’

Ruby sniffled and kept on thinking, ‘And what I want from him, it is impossible to get now that he has been crowned as the King. To me, he is like a bright star in a clear night sky that I can never touch.’

Alma could see the conflict in Ruby’s eyes. And seeing her looking at the wardrobe, she correctly assumed that the side that wanted to leave was winning.

So, she made a last effort to change Ruby’s mind about not seeing Everard, “I think you should at least meet him once before you decide to leave. That way, you will never regret your decision even if you decide to leave tonight.”

“I know how important he is to you. So, at the very least, I think that you both deserve to say a final goodbye to each other.” Alma hoped that Ruby would agree to her and attend the ball; and wished that the King would handle the rest once he met Ruby.

Ruby couldn’t argue with Alma’s reasoning. She nodded her head and softly mumbled, “I think you are right. I should at least see him once...”

Alma excitedly smiled and then said to Ruby, “Great! Then let me prepare you for the ball dance. I will make sure that you look your best.”

Alma looked so excited that Ruby couldn’t deny her request. So, she simply gave a nod and let Alma take care of the rest.

The maid ran towards the wardrobe and then asked while rummaging through the gowns. “Which gown do you want to wear tonight? Everyone will be looking their best. So, you should also look your best.”

Ruby’s eyes finally fell on the maroon-colored gown that she had been looking for. She took a sigh of relief and then said while pointing at it, “I would like to wear that one.”

Alma took that gown out of the wardrobe and said with a wide grin on her face, “You are going to look outstanding in these.”

After about an hour or so, Ruby looked no less than a lady from some rich household. The maroon gown emphasized her curves, and also complemented her red lips as well as her red hair that was tied into a loose bun. A few locks of her curly hair rested at the sides of her rosy cheeks, making her look even more beautiful.

Alma kept on staring at Ruby’s reflection. She was still feeling as though something was missing. “Ah!” she snapped her fingers and suddenly ran out of the room.

“Er...” Ruby furrowed her brows and wondered, ‘Am I supposed to find the ballroom now? I guess so...’

Before she could leave, however, Alma returned with a mask and made Ruby wear it. The glittery maroon mask covered just her eyes and nothing more. Alma had selected that mask to make sure that Everard would recognize her even in the middle of the crowd.

She finally gave a satisfied smile to Ruby and then said, “Now you are ready to blow everyone’s mind.” She gestured towards the door and then said, “Let me guide you to the ballroom.”