Chapter 157


    On the night of the Second Ball, Charlotte helped me add the finishing touches to my costume.


    My sheer butterfly wings hung close to my shoulders, not extending too far, just enough to show. My


    hair was up and mostly hidden under a sea of brightly colored flowers. My mask covered most of my


    face.


    leaving only my mouth and chin exposed.


    Looking in the mirror, I barely recognized myself. I doubted anyone else would either. Despite what he


    said, I even had my doubts about Nichs.


    Charlotte handed me my gloves one by one as I slid them on.


    “Tonight, you can be anyone,” she said.


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    No one would know me. No one would know that I’m the outsider tonight. I would simply be part of the


    group.


    I nodded, unsure what to say. I didn’t know how that made me feel. I wasn’t ashamed of who I was, but


    I


    had always wondered what it would feel like to belon


    As I finished getting ready, Elva, in her wolf costume, ran circles around the bedroom. She gave a little


    growl at the Nanny and then at Mark, who both pretended to be intimidated.


    Mark himself was looking dapper tonight, wearing a crisp tuxedo with Prince Nichs’s insignia on the


    cuff. He would be attending the ball himself, alongside the nanny, to help keep an eye on Elva


    Elva and I were supposed to pretend we didn’t know each other. If we spent too much time together,


    everyone in the ballroom would be able to guess my identity simply from Elva’s presence.


    I bent down to give Elva a hug. It would hurt me to have to pretend not to know her, though I


    maintained.


    to keep an eye on her myself. If she needed me, I would be there in an instant, rules of the event


    damned.


    Elva didn’t seem to mind so much. She hugged me tightly, hernky arms around my neck. “Goodbye,


    stranger Mommy.” Then she giggled.


    Iughed too, just a little. “If you need anything tonight.


    “Oh, Mommy,” she said, and patted my arm, like I had done so many times with her. “Everything will be


    alright.”


    I nodded. She was right of course. She was in very good hands, and I didn’t need to worry.


    But worrying about Elva was easier than worrying about myself. I had no idea what to expect tonight.


    Elva, Mark, and the nanny went down to the ballroom first. After waiting a few minutes, I followed in


    their


    path.


    “Good luck tonight,” Charlotte said at the doorway.


    Down in the ballroom, we weren’t formally announced this time, to maintain the anonymity. Instead, all


    of the candidates simply met at the top of the stair and took our turns descending one by one.


    I marveled at the beautiful costumes. Beautiful colors, silks, satins, furs, and feathers wrapped around


    the girls, dressing them as various animals and even a dragon.


    Some were more sessful at hiding their wearers than others. Olivia, for instance, had not covered


    her


    blonde hair, revealing her as the peacock.


    Lilliana, likewise, had done the bare minimum to hide her identity. She wore a simple ck mask that


    covered her eyes. The rest of her dress was a shimmering white. She told everyone she was a swan,


    but I didn’t see it. She hadn’t even included feathers in her outfit.


    The dragon, meanwhile, was a mystery, her facepletely covered. Susie was also well–hidden, and


    I might have questioned who she was had I not known of her disguise ahead of time. I


    When it was my turn, I came down the staircase. Many people turned to watch me, including two of the


    three princes.


    The princes were easy to find among the crowd. They wore striking tuxedos in different colors.


    Nichs’s was a deep emerald green. Julian’s was a dark blue. Joyce’s was a rich violet. Though they


    each wore an borate golden mask, they were easy to recognize and differentiate.