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Kel could see that Dash was gritting his teeth tightly behind his closed lips as the emperor spoke.

"... I apologize for my impudence," he finally relented, bending into a deep bow.

"If you\'re aware," the emperor nodded. Extending his hand to Kel, he added, "Then, if I may.."

.

It was strange to see Dash being the one whose dance was cut into. For as long as Kel had been attending balls, Dash was always the one to cut in when she needed him. Now, it was a relief to get away from him. Even if it meant escaping directly into the arms of the Dragon Emperor.

"By all means, Sire," Dash replied, stepping back. He dipped his head to them both before walking away.

"Why is Dash here?" Kel blurted immediately as the emperor pulled her into a dance position.

"He lives here," the emperor answered matter-of-factly.

"Here? Like HERE here?"

"In the city. I believe he has a small apartment there."

Ah, that made sense. Naturally, since Kel was still posing as the princess and Dash as the one who betrayed the princess, he wouldn\'t be able to return home. Why hadn\'t she thought of it before?

In a small way, she felt the tiniest flicker of gratitude for Dash continuing to play his role. The minute he returned to Mevani was the minute her life would be over.

Suddenly, she thought of the emperor\'s previous words.

\'A rat in the palace."

Then, that night when she snuck out to meet Barclay.. Had that hooded man been Dash? In fact, he had just been talking about something going on between him and Barclay when the emperor interrupted.

Everything made sense now.

"You shouldn\'t bite your lip."

The emperor\'s cool fingers brushed across Kel\'s lower lip. She flinched, immediately releasing the lip she hadn\'t realized her teeth were holding captive.

I must be crazy, she thought to herself as she looked up sheepishly. The most powerful and dangerous man in the empire was right in front of her, and she had been lost in her own thoughts. Had he tried to speak to her? And she ignored him?

"I\'m terribly sorry!" Kel exclaimed. "Y-your Majesty??"

Instead of replying to her desperate apology, the emperor\'s slightly parted lips were slowly approaching her own. She stared at them until she felt her eyes crossing and then scrunched them shut, bracing herself for contact.

"In ten minutes…"

To her surprise, instead of meeting her own lips, the emperor\'s mouth had passed by her face.

"Follow me to the terrace in ten minutes."

Kel had no time to reject or accept his mysterious invitation, as the song had just ended.

The emperor offered her a small bow before striding away. She stood, dazed, watching him make his way toward one of the balconies. A pair of men, most likely knights in disguise, closed the curtains behind him and stood guard on either side.

With her mind and heart both racing, Kel fumbled her way off the dance floor. There was nobody who didn\'t know what a man and woman meeting alone on the terrace at a ball usually meant. The emperor had even prepared those guards to ensure he would be undisturbed.

"Maybe I should just make a run for it," Kel gulped, her gaze wandering to a nearby side exit. To her dismay, another suspiciously knight-ish looking man stood next to it with a sinister expression.

It looked like escape was impossible.

To make matters worse, she soon caught sight of Spencer Regan hastily moving toward her. She pivoted around to dive the other direction but noticed Dash approaching as well.

The ten minutes she had been instructed to wait were entirely spent dodging the two persistent men.

Finally, she arrived at the floor length velvet red curtains covering the entrance to the terrace. Feeling exhausted from escaping her relentless pursuers, she all but forgot her nervousness as one of the guards pulled back a drape and ushered her through.

The first thing she noticed as she stepped into the chilly night air was how magnificent the palace gardens looked bathed in the moonlight.

The second thing she noticed was how magnificent the emperor looked bathed in the same moonlight as he stood leaning against the railing, peering out at the gardens.

Her heart remembered to skip a beat as her strange thoughts forced her to realize that she was alone with this man.

Swallowing hard, Kel took a step forward. The breeze blew a few loose strands of hair against her face and caused her dress to billow out. Soft pink petals fluttered lazily across the terrace and the dizzying scent of autumn flowers engulfed the air.

At the rustling of her skirt, the emperor slowly turned to face her. The wind tugged ever so slightly at the ends of his hair and shirt, reminding Kel that she wasn\'t staring at a painting.

"Your Majesty," Kel curtseyed, dropping her gaze to the blushing petals dancing around her feet. Her heart was beating loudly and erratically as if she\'d run all the way there.

"Priiiincessss!"

Kel started at the sudden call. It definitely hadn\'t been made by the emperor.

She looked to the source and noticed Thane and Ira both seated on a nearby bench, the former waving wildly.

"Oh, good evening, Sirs," she nodded toward the pair, feeling the tension in her body start to melt. Ira returned with a cold silence while Thane grinned and began patting the empty seat next to him.

"Scoot over, Thane," Ira whined as Kel drew closer. "There\'s another bench over there for her to sit."

"There\'s plenty of room here!" Thane retorted, sliding another inch closer to his surly comrade.

"Don\'t get so close to me!" Ira yelped, jumping to his feet.

"Why don\'t you just go sit on that bench-"

"That\'s enough." A hand rested against the small of Kel\'s back, accompanied by the Dragon Emperor\'s sharp voice. "Everyone sit back down."

The emperor guided Kel to the other bench while Ira slumped back down and glared at Thane.

"Now," the emperor said, plopping down slightly nearer to Kel than was necessary, "let\'s talk."

"I have a question," Kel ventured, glancing between all three of her companions\' faces. "What exactly are we talking about?"

With an uncharacteristic smile on his face, Ira spoke up. "Congratulations, Miss Mevani. You\'ve finally become useful."

"… how so?" Kel faltered, feeling a sudden chill at the man\'s ominous tone.

"That man you spoke to earlier," the emperor interjected, "you\'ve met him before, correct?"

"The man with red hair? Ah… Spencer Regan?" Kel clarified. Of course the emperor would have already known thanks to Thane, so why was he asking?

"And he\'s been trying to approach you again?" The emperor pressed.

"It appears so," Kel replied, her uneasiness increasing rapidly.

The emperor smiled mischievously. "How do you feel about attending a party?"