The sun was barely rising when we arrived. I'd instantly been sent to my 'room' now, lapsing into another attempt at sleep.

It took Patricja three hard knocks before she let herself into my room.

"You're terrible at answering your door," She huffed, crossing my room, many items under her arm. She placed the in front of the vanity. "Hippity hop!" She called, clapping loudly.

"What time is it?" I mumbled.

"Almost two pm," She scolded, "most women would be in their dresses and makeup by now!"

"What time does it start?" I asked blearily.

"Seven,"

"That's ridiculous then," I rolled over, summoning the strength to stand. Patricja flicked through a few of the channels. One of which, was giving us live coverage of the Military Parade happening on one side of Apolia City.

"Look it's your boyfriend," Patricja teased. I turned to the tv, my hands on my hips. Cas, though I had no idea how with the lack of sleep he'd probably gotten, was smiling and waving like he had just walked off a manufacturing line. With the assistance of the King and Queen, they were opening the Military Parade. A big cheer! It'd started. The Queen and King rode in an open car, looking pristine and flawless. Cas walked behind them with a few of his brothers and sisters. I spotted Crown Prince Artur, Oleksiy, and Matviyko but not Ivan or Daryna. Cas' sister, the third child was also missing.

Lots of smiling and waving, the news cut to a piece speculating about tonight's gala. What was the theme? Would there be 'x, y, z' mentioned? Would Prince Casmir-Stefan talk about the work he'd been doing? Of course he would. But would he offer proposals and reform or just vague, ambitious advice? My eyes narrowed and I crossed my arms. They talked a lot for people who hadn't even lifted a finger to help.

The conversation turned to trade deals. Had a new deal been closed? Had contracts been signed? Would we see people of importance there tonight? Who had been invited? Apparently Prince Casmir-Stefan had invited a large portion of average servicemen and women. Of course they were brave. Of course they'd served the country. But why? What made them so much more special over 'x, y, z' celebrity? Talking about celebrities, would we see-.

I turned away, opting instead to sit in the shower. Sufficiently warmed and the remnants of last night's travels running down the drain, I stepped out in one of those royal, fluffy robes feeling like a million dollars. So that's how Cas did it.

Patricja was mostly flicking through her phone but looked up when I arrived. "Ready to do this?"

"Let's," I nodded. She gave me an excited look, flittering over to where a box laid on the vanity. Very carefully retrieving the pink dress. The pink dress. The one we'd considered a bit too formal just for dinner.

"This is going to look so good," Patricja beamed, I shook my head.

"When did you get it?"

"When we got the other one, silly!" She grinned, passing me the box, "time to try it on!"

It slid over my shoulders and caressed my skin. I'd never really understood the term 'fit like a glove' until I'd put this on. It pulled in the right places and flowed in the others. When I returned, Berna was chatting excitedly with Patricja. They both paused when I reentered.

"Oh yeah," Patricja grinned, "that's the one,"

I turned to the vanity, catching a full-length look at myself in the mirror. Okay, this was pretty cool. Berna had to flitter away but left a grazing platter to chew from. Apparently every room in the palace was full. Some guests even had to move into the attendant's quarters.

"What's it like?" I asked Patricja, "the gala," From home, every girl dreamed of attending it. There'd be princes and solider and men of all kinds of honour. There'd be dancing until the sun rose and dresses of every colour. And at the end of it all, maybe even a prince to whisk them away from the monotonous horror that was Ardeena.

"A lot of work," She huffed, "be prepared, I know P.C.S said he'd be sneaking you in but there will be a lot of staring," My back prickled and I bit my lip. Patrica was bringing the two sides of my hair together in a braided crown. The rest she'd fluff and curl. It had a very medieval look to it.

"Okay, what else?"

"Lot's of talking," She rolled her eyes a little. "We'll send you in a little later so you can avoid the boredom of that. The dances are usually just a front for deals to be made and gossip to be spread. I'd leave your phone here. Normally they have 'dance lists', it's an app on your phone, so the men can nab a dance with the prettiest girl in the room. If you leave your phone here they can't do that and then you have no obligation to dance with anyone,"

"Of course, thanks,"

"For an event that's supposed to be all about the service men and women there, most of it will be entertaining the Richies,"

"Richies?"

"The people with money. There'll be a silent auction going on. This year, all of the proceeds towards P.C.S's support networks. The RVL branches that you guys plan on funding,"

"That went ahead?" I tried not to gasp.

"Yep, the last week has been incredibly hectic in drawing that up," Patricja had a little smile on her face, she let a curl drop from the iron, "but we're gaining traction. Tonight will be about convincing the Defence Minister for the phasing system that you guys recommended,"

"The Honourable Bohuslav Kolisnyk is your guy that you need to watch out for. That's the mission. Be prepared, when you dance with him, that'll be your turn to make your petition on behalf of P.C.S,"

On behalf of Cas, that little though made me smile all the way until he knocked on my door.

"Hello there," I opened the door softly. Downstairs, I could hear the excited chatter of everyone arriving. The clinking of flutes and the exchange of gossip. Menial things the Richies did.

Cas looked at me, blinking a few times, "You look beautiful,"

"You don't look so bad yourself," I chuckled, gesturing to his formal attire. It was military wear. A black uniform with golden accents. His medals proudly displayed across his chest, an aiguillette crossing to his shoulder. He had his dress hat tucked under the crook of his arm. I'm sure that wasn't regulation.

"Sleep well?" He chuckled, I rolled my eyes.

"I don't know how you did it this morning," Cas shook his head, giving me a look.

"I barely managed to walk the parade. After all the tours and years of training," He trailed off with a chuckle. We eased into a silence. Cas offered his arm. "Ready to attend, madam?"

"Why thank you kind sir," I teased, taking his offer. The hallway was relatively empty. All the guests downstairs. We reached the top of the Grand Staircase, instead of turning to walk down it, Cas opted to continue forth. I caught my first look at the crowd, hundreds of men and women chatting excitedly. Women in almost every colour but most prominently in their reds and golds. Men, looking sharp in their military clothes, laughing and having a good time. The doors to the main ballroom had been thrown open and the crowd slowly leaked inside.

"There's probably about seven hundred people here tonight," Cas whispered to me, my jaw almost dropped seven hundred. "Most of them are Servicemen and Women who've gone above and beyond. However, pretty much every celebrity and person with an egregious amount of cash, has also been invited,"

"Because you're raising money right? For the RVL?" Cas nodded, a small smile on his face.

"We're formally announcing their upgrade tonight. They will now be called the RRVL,"

"The Royal Returned and Veterans League?" I guessed.

"Exactly that,"

"That's incredible, I'm impressed you got that done so quickly,"

"Well you know, where there's a will, there's a way," Cas paused outside the door to the Ballroom. He turned to me, "thank you, for everything you've done so far,"

"Thank you for bringing me along," I whispered. The moment was sacred. A buzz ran through my body. I wanted for Cas to kiss me. That much I knew. Though it'd probably bring a world of hurt and pain with it. It would mean years of sneaking into ballrooms, hiding under lies, avoiding the lights. Though, I realised in that moment, that I didn't really care about all of that. Maybe it would be bearable, maybe that wasn't so bad after all.

Cas turned away, opening the door. The two of us slipped inside to a balcony of some sort. Below us, hundreds of circular tables spotted the floor. The stream of people working their way in between. Some paused by the artworks. Probably the Richies, for their silent auction. I thought to myself humorously.

In front of the tables, between the stage, a moderate space had been left for the late night dancing. Definitely not enough room for seven hundred people to swirl and dance. Though I'm sure they would make it work.

"The mission for tonight," Cas looked to me, worry flittered across his features.

"The Defence Minister?" I asked, giving an assuring smile.

"A useless scoundrel, he's mostly driven by toys and women. He'll most likely ask for a dance. Would you-,"

"Be able to make your petition then?" I filled in, my stomach flipping. One-on-one I could usually hold my own, dancing one-on-one would usually be achievable as well. Though dancing one-on-one in front of a few hundred people? It was enough to make my palms clammy.

"I don't ask lightly," Cas' words were a crushed whisper, "he's being especially difficult. I'll make my speech tonight, speak with them about it and then when he asks you..."

"I'll pretend like it's already done," I took Cas' hand in my own, my fingertips humming. How bold I was, to take the prince's hand without his express permission. Despite in his military uniform with every ounce of effortless royalty rolling off of him, I still couldn't shake the Cas underneath. The bumbling Cas that had run into me while I hung up the washing. The Cas that ran after my bike thief and subsequently hurt himself doing it. The Cas that lost his phone. The Cas that accidentally gave me a blood nose. I gave him a small smile, "I can do it. We've both got to do stuff we might not want to,"

"For the mission," His face twisted into a reminiscent memory, an inside joke playing across his features, "and then soon as that is done we can both disappear,"

"Oh?" I asked, my brow raising, "where to?"

"I'm thinking the gardens out front, maybe Australia?"

I chuckled, "I have terrible English,"

"Well, good thing we've got Google Translate,"

The thought of looking forwards til afterwards, pushed me through the night. Cas and I, as if descending from the Grand Staircase itself, glided down the service stairwell to a little nook. Almost everyone had gathered in their seats. He led me to the table, almost directly in front of the speaking podium. We sat. He introduced me to the men and their wives around the table. A decorated general, a politician, Daryna, Ivan, Katryna and Bohuslav Kolisnyk. He was a man that sat alone, without a wife. Perhaps that's why he spent so much time vying after women and toys. He gave me a look up and down, his oily combover barely managing to stay down. He was probably reaching his late thirties, only a few years ahead of Ivan. But there was almost a world of difference. His black, curly hair was already thinning. His eyes and chin were sagging. His nose was crooked, harkening back to a time where our parents would tell us stories of witches that combed through the villages. A snake coiled in my stomach. I was ready to retch.

Think about Cas, I reminded myself, think about the lives that could be saved through this program. I gave my best slight smile and gracefully descended into the chair that Cas had pulled out for me. This was for the mission. It was all about the mission.

The gala began, the lights dimming. The was an introduction by a popular comedian. Even though he was efficient he spent a little too much time talking about himself. I caught Bohuslav looking at me from across the table. He was unapologetic in looking.

Great, I grumbled to myself, tonight should be easy then. The comedian wrapped it up, introducing the National Military Choir, then a quick round of the highest promotions. A new general was introduced, he shook hands with King Miezko. Cas was pulled aside by the stage manager and I experienced a whole new level of feeling exposed without him.

Keep your eyes up, I repeated in my head, a mantra to get me through. The worst was yet to come. Cas spoke, an elegant speech referencing some of his closest friends while serving. He announced the promotion and re-branding of the RVL. A spokesperson gave a short thank you and a pledge to make great change. Cas announced the first seven branches that would be immediately receiving upgrades and new allotments of land after tonight. Since the first funding would be private from the funds of tonight's gala, he didn't need the approval of the minister. Cas encouraged everyone in the audience to continue bidding and gave a small testimonial of his own squadron. How, without one another, they would all be in a very different place. I could almost hear the fake nails of the Richies tapping and the sound of digital chequebooks being written into.

"I apologise for the long speech," Cas chucked, there was a bubble of laughter, "but what we're doing is incredibly important. I thank you all for your generous contributions tonight. With your assistance, I look forwards to developing a better transitioning system for our veterans, reforming our healthcare system for those who put everything on the line, and expanding health care to our military families who are tried and tested when they send off their loved ones to fight for our independence,"

A gasp of shock. Healthcare for military families was huge. The price tag that would come with that would be immense. My mouth dropped open. I wondered how Cas wondered that he was going to pay for it.

"I look forwards to giving a much greater report next year, but until then, thank you,"

A roar of applause. Cas gave our a few handshakes to the RVL men and women onstage, pausing for a photo. Between the clapping, I stole a look to Bohuslav. His moth was pushed into an angry line and his eyes held a storm. Step One complete. I thought to myself.

The stage went to complete darkness as a video played. In the blackness, Cas re-took his seat next to me.

"You did great," I whispered, brushing my hand against his arm.

"Thanks," He whispered, showing me his phone. The silent auction. The pieces of artwork and other items ticking up quickly. Some close to hitting seven figures. My mouth dropped and I looked to Cas, he grinned, pocketing his phone.

The comedian-host came back on stage after the video. Throwing a few joking lines here and there, he reminded everyone of the silent auction. The drinks had been in full swing apparently as an example of everyone's generosity, the host began a bidding war on a can of Coca-Cola.

Cas and I were in stitches, the bidding hitting fifty dollars, then a hundred and finally closing at just short of five hundred dollars.

"The most expensive Coca-Cola to ever sell!" The host cheered, the audience were in stitches.

So this is what rich people do with their money, I couldn't help the thought from seeping in. I did my best to dismiss it as quickly as possible. No, they're helping a good cause.

Though the bitterness still hinged at the back of my mind. A classic case of jealousy.

Dinner was served and the clinking of utensils echoed throughout the room. A healthy amount of chatter. Daryna managed to strike up a conversation with Bohuslav. Cas kept talking to Ivan. Katryna looked a little bored to his side, wearing a stunning forest green gown with a mermaid flair to it. Her hand had been a little heavy on the gold contour but she looked gorgeous nonetheless. Ivan was also in his military outfit though definitely less decorated than Cas. I spotted Matviyko seated with Cas' parents at another table. Beside him, Oleksiy and his wife gave me a little wave. I blinked. She looked almost American.

Dinner plates were whisked away, the host closed the silent auction. The final count sitting at just over seven million dollars. My jaw dropped. There was a large round of applause.

Then the dancing begun. Moving to Phase Two, it seemed.

First were the married military couples, then military servicemen and women with their partners. Cas turned to me, offering a hand.

"Ready?"

"Let's do this,"

Luckily for me, it was the Royal Waltz. The same steps, the same timing. This time with the eyes of a few hundred people. Gracefully, in step, with one another.

His hand on mine, I grinned. Step, step, step, step to a curtsey. I chanted in my mind, keeping my eyes on him the whole time. For a brief moment, we passed his parents. I gave a small smile and nod to them. Queen Olena returned both.

Then, the final curtsey. Cas and I were both grinning by then. We were about to lead into the next dance when-.

A clearing of the throat, we both turned to see Bohuslav. I did my best to maintain a civil smile. Cas had 'the face' on.

"May I take this dance?" Bohuslav offered a leather gloved hand. How rude, I immediately thought before turning to Cas and giving a small half nod. There were a million emotions swirling in his eyes. In the dimmed lighting, those sky blue irises had turned to a tempestuous grey; the colour of storm cloud thick with the furies of Hell.

"I'll see you soon," I gave my best affirming smile. Cas shoulders dropped ever so slightly before he gave the slightest nod. You can do this.

"Until then," His words were low.

I gave him a slight smile before taking Bohuslav's hand. Almost half a head smaller than Cas, he didn't lead as well. One hand awkwardly bent into the air and the other sliding a little too low down my back, sitting where Cas would never dare venture. I gave my best cool look.

"So you're quite close with his Royal Highness?" His voice had a slight grating twang to it. I entertained the thought of throwing my fist across his face.

Sofia, a part of me scolded, probably my mother, that's so unbecoming of a lady.

"Prince Casmir and I worked on a few projects together," I did my best to remain as effortless as I could, aware of his hand almost on my behind.

Stay focused on the mission, a part of me scolded.

"Though I heard you were working with him on the transition of soldiers coming back, that's wonderful,"

"Yes,' Bohuslav spun me a little too roughly, his words held the same reserved angst of my mother when I'd tell her about how badly I screwed up when she'd told me not to do something, "yes I am,"

"That's incredible," I gushed as I arose from my curtsey.

"I'm glad to hear that," He managed, getting a little more comfortable with the idea, "it's in His Royal Highness' best interest to keep his men happy. With the insurgency and all,"

"Oh," My lips parted and I ducked underneath his arm before he pulled me back. The routine a classic one. I wracked my mind for any information on that, but came up relatively stuck. "Yes, so sad to hear about that, must be very stressful being the Defence Minister and all," I gave my best innocent beam.

Maybe that was a little too forwards. I thought, as the Defence Minister narrowed his eyes.

"Yes," He grumbled, "it is,"

"Well," I beamed, in step with him again, "that's so great that you're expanding health care for military families as well!"

"Yes," Bohuslav huffed to himself, "I guess it's good that we are,"

The song ended with a final note. Bohuslav and I gave our farewell curtsey and bow.

"Fantastic dancing," I beamed, "I'll see you around some time!"

"Of course," Bohuslav's words were a little gruff though he gave a smile. "I'll look forwards to it,"

Cas was by my side as soon as Bohuslav and I were out of reach. He pressed a hand to the small of my back, silently leaded me out of the ballroom. We were paused by a few excited servicemen who thanked Cas for his work, though he kept moving as quickly as possible.

A few people were in the Grand Staircase room however they were thoroughly engrossed in their own gossip and we were able to slip past. Cas led me down the front steps and into the garden. The last of the red carpet already being packed up. I prayed a thankful prayer silently. One we'd reached the first of the shrubbery, Cas turned to me.

"Are you okay?"

I breathed out a long breath nodding.

"You did so well," His words were full of a hundred emotions, "I don't know how you did it,"

"Neither do I," I chuckled, "he seems relatively on board. I got him in a bit of a corner. Though he did throw a side jab at you about wanting to keep your men happy because of the Insurgency,"

Cas face was pressed into an unhappy expression. "Of course he would,"

"What did he mean by it?" I asked slowly, "an Insurgency? Why?"

We lived in a great country. Every citizen had purpose, the economy was moving relatively well for a kingdom our size. Aside from the Chesno culture, which we were working on being amended, there wasn't much to worry about.

"The usual," Cas dismissed, "we have them a lot so it's not like it's a shock. Mostly drama about rightful bogus claims to the throne and the like,"

"Ah," I spoke, though mostly to myself. Apolia had a complex system in regards to the throne. A constant competition. According to law, the Apolian Royal lineage couldn't move through women. This was mostly because women had to take the man's name in Apolia. It wasn't oppressive. It meant that she was fully and wholly devoted to the honour of taking her husband's name.

The male lineage was already a bit of a disputed issue with Crown Prince Artur. Him and his wife already had three girls and despite him being the firstborn, his children wouldn't have any legitimate claim to the throne except being named as princesses. There was talk of them trying for a boy, however, that meant that the next in line after Prince Artur would be up in the air.

As a result, this left a few disenfranchised daughters with families that could've had a shot at the throne but didn't.

It was one of those ancient laws that could never be reversed or amend otherwise it'd give these disputes more of a ground to stand on. So on it would continue until it didn't.

"That sucks," I mumbled, the two of us walking in the darkness, "but I think tonight went well,"

"It really did," Cas turned to me, looking down at me, "I can't say how grateful I am for your help,"

"Happy to lend a hand," I smiled. Oh my, we were close. The fairy lights flickered around us. The night hummed with the cooler Summer breeze. I looked to Cas' eyes, dark in the low light. He leaned a little closer, our foreheads were almost touching.

And then, the kiss.

There was nothing particularly Earth-shattering about it. There were no fireworks or a romantic swell of the score. There was just him and I, alone in the garden.

Even though there was no dramatic moment, it felt right.

We pulled apart, I grinned. "I've been waiting to do that for a long time," Cas chuckled.

"Yeah," I breathed out, "me too,"

And hand in hand, we made our way through the garden.