Maude’s foot stepped onto the first stair on the way down the main entrance staircase of the Rosenberg manor. At the very bottom, she saw Jaspar’s back. He was in his formal attire, and the suit’s jacket made his shoulders look broader than they normally did. His hair was nicely combed and styled.

Maude’s foot fell onto the second step. She gulped, unsure of what Jaspar might think of her. Helena had stayed true to her word, and Maude couldn’t help but feel that Helena might have overdone her appearance a bit.

Maude put her iridescently gloved hand on the banister to help guide her down the stairs. The other hand was helping to hold up her similarly colored dress enough for her to walk without falling. It wasn’t her first time wearing high heels, but Maude was feeling a bit unsteady in these ones. Perhaps they were taller than the ones she’d practiced walking in and gotten used to.

She reached the third stair down, her eyes refusing to move from the back of Jaspar’s head. What will he think when he sees me? She wondered. Helena had dolled her up so much that she hadn’t even been able to recognize herself. Long gone was the woman sword saint soldier, and in stood Maude Holloway, the empire’s duke’s daughter.

She reached the fourth step. Is he ever going to turn and look? She wondered. Maude was seeing more and more people look up at her, their faces a sea of awe, envy, and surprise.

She reached the fifth stair down. Jaspar was noticing, looking around the room, that people were looking up at something. Maude felt her breath catch as he turned around to look her way, and their eyes met.

His eyes were wide, his lips in an “o” shape. Once he recovered from his initial surprise, he smiled warmly at her.

I can’t imagine my life without his smile in it, Maude thought. Her heart ached at the plight of having feelings for someone she couldn’t have.

She continued her descent down the stairs, and as she got closer, Jaspar held out his hand for her to take. She took it, and carefully stepped down the last two stairs.

“Lady Maude,” Jaspar said, the unwavering warm smile still on his face. “You look absolutely marvelous.”

Maude felt her face flush. “You think so?” she asked.

“Absolutely,” he murmured. He offered his arm to her, and she interlocked hers, feeling her heart stuttering at the contact. He escorted her out, and then carefully helped her into the carriage. He stepped in afterward, and the driver shut the door behind Jaspar. He sat down across from her. She felt as though the carriage was experiencing a heat wave inside of it. Her hands were swampy in her gloves.

I didn’t even think about how I was going to be spending time alone with Jaspar in the carriage, Maude thought. I wish I had thought this through a little more. At least at the ball there will be other people around.

She was doing everything she could not to squirm in her seat as the carriage started going to the location of the ball.

“Maude,” Jaspar said. She looked up at him and met his eyes while chewing on her lip. “Helena did an excellent job. You look absolutely stunning.”

He’s reiterating himself, Maude thought. I wonder if he’s nervous too.

“Thanks,” she replied.

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“Why are you so nervous? You shouldn’t have all that much to be nervous about.”

Ah, he caught me, she thought, ceasing her lip chewing.

“I feel like a farce,” she answered.

“What do you mean by a farce?” Jaspar asked.

“I’m a prisoner of war in an enemy country,” Maude stated. “And I’m getting to enjoy the luxurious life of living in this country. I’m going to a ball with one of the most eligible bachelors of this country. I am sure there are many other ladies besides Lady Von Wickten who would gladly trade places with me. How does anything else make me not a farce?” Maude asked. Her voice had been getting progressively louder. She was perspiring a bit, and she noticed that Jaspar looked a bit taken aback. “Ah, sorry,” she said. “I got too into my words.”

“You’re quite alright,” Jaspar replied. “And for what my words are worth, I wouldn’t worry too terribly much about any of that. Though I am a high-ranking man in this kingdom, it is not as though I was able to get you into high-society events on my own. I did have to ask the king about it, and I did prior to even really asking if you would be interested in going to the events. At first I thought that it could make you feel more welcomed, as it would at least feel a bit similar to the empire, but later on you’d told me about your situation, and that’s when I realized it would be an opportunity for you to actually participate in high society instead.”

Maude fluttered her eyelashes at him. “You were just trying to make me feel more comfortable in Aulbert? Why?” she asked. She did not understand what could possibly be his motivation behind taking such good care of his enemy’s trump card.

“Well,” Jaspar said with an awkward smile. “Our country owes you a great debt for refusing to fight for the empire,” he answered. “You could have single-handedly turned the tide of this war with your ability to augment your capabilities and those around you’s sword fighting capabilities.”

Maude swallowed hard. “You don’t actually mean that, do you?” she asked.

“I absolutely mean that,” he answered. “With you on the battlefield, strengthening those around you, you could have very easily overpowered even my unit. Even with your subpar troops, you may have been able to wipe us out. You would have had significant losses to your unit. But you would have won.”

“You’re lying,” Maude replied, shaking her head and feeling her hands starting to shake. “You said it would have been a fifty-fifty fight.”

“It would have,” Jaspar said. “But you would have easily outlasted my troops. I’m one of the best swordsmen in this country, if not the best, and I could not beat you when you came at me with everything.”

What? Maude screamed in her head. Surely my father’s assessment of my abilities is not that off base.

“The emperor was betting on you winning the war for him. He did not realize he was dealing with a pacifistic sword saint. It’s because you chose not to fight that the kingdom of Aulbert has been able to hold its own against the empire.”

Maude’s mouth was open like a gaping fish. “That’s impossibly not true.”

“It’s very true,” Jaspar replied. “As a leader of multiple armies in this war, I can assure you that we would have assuredly lost the war by now if you were fighting.”

“I need proof,” Maude said. “I’ll believe you when you bring me proof.”

“I’ll bring you proof when I have it,” Jaspar said. “I already said that I would.”

Maude was looking at Jaspar sideways. “If I’m such a hero to this kingdom, why am I unable to go out anywhere alone?”

Jaspar nodded. “That’s a fair question. For the most part, the only reason now, since I confirmed several times that you were not attempting to infiltrate the city on a secret mission, that you are unable to go around by yourself is because you’re a lady and it would be improper for a lady to go out alone. The king is also afraid that you will run off if you’re unsupervised, and return to the empire to fight. As I said before, you could single-handedly turn the tide of the war. Until such time that the king is convinced you will not return to the empire, you will be guarded.”

“I suppose that’s a bit reassuring,” Maude replied, feeling a bit more at ease with Jaspar’s motives.

“So just try to enjoy yourself tonight, alright Maude?” he asked, gently grabbing one of her gloved hands and squeezing it.

She smiled at him, feeling nervous he would notice how sweaty her hands were. He’s right, she thought. She needed to stop worrying so much about her status, and how she might possibly be able to make things work with him long-term. She didn’t even know if he returned her feelings. It was time to take a page out of Helena’s book and live in the moment and enjoy her night at the ball with Jaspar. It could be that simple.

“I will,” she answered, returning the hand squeeze.