"Lady Alejandra, How much do you know about the Underworld?" 

Alejandra blinked and pursed her lips but quickly regained her calm after a slight shock. "What ever do you mean, Your Highness?" She acted confused. "I dare not make connections with such ruffians."

Ben smirked. "Your reputation precedes you, My Lady. I am fairly certain that you have just as much information to tell as you have to insinuate." He leaned on the railing and glanced the Lady top to bottom. "I believe you know many things regarding the Underworld, you just so wish to not say it."

Alejandra chuckled as plainly as possible to not arouse any suspicion. "I am sure you have your reasons, Your Highness. However, I regard it as disrespectful to assume such bold things about a fellow noble." She shook her head. "In account of your curiosity. I will say I have indeed heard rumors surrounding the mystique of the Underworld, but I would not say I am as well informed about them as you think, Your Highness." Alejandra added a hint of bitterness at the end there.

"Apologies, My Lady. I mean no offense in my words." Ben bowed his head. "It seems my curiosity pushed more than it should."

Alejandra grit her teeth. Ben seemed a lot more forward with his intent tonight compared to all the other times she's talked to him. After she made friends with him, she didn't expect him to ask such a brazen question. 

She felt a bit annoyed at him but it's no like she has the authority to reprimand someone as high standing as the Crown Prince even if she was the Grand Duke's daughter.

"Your Highness, such assumptions are dangerous. I do hope you don't start such erroneous rumors regarding me." Alejandra, being the snarky girl she is, decided to snap back at least a little.

"I would never dare." He flashed a flirty smile and leaned on the railings. "After all, we're friends aren't we?" He said menacingly.

Alejandra felt more pissed now. She sighed and flashed one of her fake smiles like the one he was showing to her right now. "Of course, Your Highness. We're friends."

"I do say, I forgot to mention about the incident regarding the rogue Adjudicator." He made an obviously false oblivious expression. "Are you alright, My Lady. I worry for your safety." His tongue spoke with venom.

"You need not worry yourself with such matters, Your Highness." Alejandra felt her eyebrows furrow from frustration but she remained level headed. "Although to satisfy your query, I'm quite alright. I appreciate the concern."

"I see…" Ben smirked then turned his glance towards the faraway city below, with their lively lights and cheers. "My Lady?"

Alejandra pursed her lips and faced towards the city as well. "Yes, Your Highness?"

"The people out there…do you think they're happy?" The Prince asked out of nowhere. "Do you think that they'll wake up tomorrow believing in the next day?"

This question completely caught the Lady off guard, she paused for a moment, thinking of an answer then she heard distant cheers and laughter. "Right now they're happy…but who knows what's gonna happen tomorrow. I think everyone, noble or not, is like that. Living their days hoping the next will be better. Sometimes it is…sometimes it isn't, but as people of this Empire we all live out that same day." She smiled as she continued to look towards the faraway lights. "We are all up here on this pedestal while they're down there. We can only make assumptions as to what they feel but we're not part of them, not part of that side of the world. It's a bit sad but there will always be a disconnect between the common people and the nobility in that regard."

"I see." The Prince had a peaceful look on his face. The aggressive biting persona he held earlier seemingly fading into obscurity. Alejandra didn't know where this question came from, especially since she was originally being interrogated, but right now…the Prince seemed wistful. 

"Your Highness?" Alejandra blinked.

"Ah yes. Apologies, My Lady. I lost myself for a moment." He chuckled and stared at her with a look he's never done before which made Alejandra stop in her tracks. For a moment, that serendipitous look of his made her chest twist. "Shall we head back to the party?"

"Oh u-uh. Yes, Your Highness." She stuttered and she couldn't believe it herself.

The Prince seemed to catch on to that and smiled, he slid his hand between hers and pulled her close to him. "Let's go?"

Alejandra despite being caught out of the blue by whatever just happened still had a bunch of sane bones in her body. She pulled her hand away from the Prince and smiled. "I would prefer that we exit separately, Your Highness."

Ben laughed and nodded. "Whatever you say, My Lady." 

The Prince headed out first and the Lady was left to herself outside within the balcony. Alejandra watched as the Prince's broad back disappeared amongst the crowd.

The Lady felt her legs stumble as she placed her hand on the stone railings to keep her balance. She used her other hand to cover her face. "Seriously…" She hid the smile in her lips. "You can't just go from aggressive to…whatever that was."

As the Lady tried to calm herself down outside, within the fervor of the Ball was a quiet brown haired girl standing ahead the walls and quietly observing the people walking around.

Teresa wore a humble light blue dress and small headdress. She did accompany her lady to the ball but they split soon after Alejandra's entry due to Teri needing to help with some of the work around the party.

However, soon enough the servants got themselves back on track and now she had nothing to do but wait on the sidelines. Teresa was excitable and quite outgoing but she realized right now that large parties like these weren't her thing.

She winced at the loud noises and she found the atmosphere suffocating with how hot it was due to the large amount of people. She even wore a light simple dress not only to help Her Lady stand out but to also give herself some breathing room, even then it still felt choking.

She danced around the people, avoiding most interactions, and instead she headed straight towards the food table. She picked up a bit of chocolate and started snacking on them while staying silent.

"It seems you still do like sweets, Lady Teresa." A friendly voice slid next to her, with his platinum blonde hair and hypnotic hazel eyes. Teresa smirked as their shoulders touched.

"Sir Asher, it seems that you still lack the guts to speak your mind." Teresa teased as she glanced pointedly towards the flowers that Asher held in his hands. "It seems My Lady has yet to receive such a courteous gift from you."

Asher winced and sighed. "There's so many guys surrounding her right now…I felt like if I chimed in she'd just think of me like the rest of them." He complained and Teresa chuckled. "Not only that, but now everyone seems to think that the Lady and the Prince are together and I just….ugh."

"The Crown Prince huh? Wouldn't say that's an easy rival right there." Teresa felt bad for the guy. 

"I already felt such a large divide between me and Lady Alejandra and now it just keeps getting bigger." He grimaced. "I have no hopes of catching up."

"Ash, you are the heir to the Lewis Marquis, son of a great swordsman." Teri assured him. "Your rival may be the Crown Prince but we know full well how our Lady feels regarding that."

He chuckled and nudged her shoulder. "Thanks Teri, you're a good girl." 

"Just because you're older than me doesn't mean you get to treat me like a child." She glared and he raised his hands in defense. 

"Whoah, sorry there!" He grinned. "Anyways, you've been a wallflower for quite some time now. Care to dance for a bit?"

Teri smiled and reached out her hand. "Alright it's quite monotonous to just eat through the party anyways." 

Asher cusped her palm and pulled her into the middle of the ball to dance along with the other nobles. The Lady's Knight and Maid decide to enjoy themselves for a time. Meanwhile, the Lady during that same moment experienced quite the sudden encounter.

A couple minutes ago as Teresa and Asher were having a pleasant conversation by the food table, Alejandra finally had chosen to leave the balcony and enter the ball once more.

She raised her dress upwards and clacked her heels onto the marble floor. She glanced around, looking for a place to idle by and for quite a far view away she noticed Teresa chatting with Asher.

Alejandra smiled to herself and prepared to head towards them but one of the servers accidentally crashed into her and nearly spilled the wine onto her dress.

"AH!" The maid yelled as she quickly fixed her arm position to have the wine balance on to the dish once more. 

Fortunately, Alejandra reacted quickly enough and grabbed the wine glass before it spilled. "That was close." She chuckled as the young maid bowed her head repeatedly. 

"I'm very very sorry." The maid gulped, her black hair going all over the place and her shaking hands gripping her skirt.

Alejandra smiled and sipped the wine between her fingers with a smirk. "No need to fret." She placed the empty glass back on the dish tray. "None of it spilled so just be careful next time."

"Thank you for your graciousness." The maid bowed once more and Alejandra sighed.

"What's your name?" Alejandra politely asked. 

"Soyeon, My Lady. Soyeon Song." The girl introduced. "I have no noble origins, if you're wondering, My Lady."

"I don't delve into such things. Pick your head up." She ordered and the maid followed. "You seem to be around my age? Are you perhaps seventeen?"

"Eighteen, My Lady."

"Very well." Alejandra grinned and took the free hand of the maid. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Song. I am Alejandra Ramirez."

The maid's eyes widened with fear as her lips quivered and her body shuddered. "I am so sorry again for inconveniencing you! I wasn't aware that the Lady Heiress of the Grand Duchy is here!"

"Like I said, it's alright." Alejandra felt a bit uneasy now. This girl was jittery and nervous throughout this entire interaction, it may well be due to Alejandra being a noble, but she could feel that there's something more to it. It was a suspicious scent if you would. "On your way now, be careful next time Ms. Song."

"Thank you for your kindness." Soyeon bowed one last time and continued serving other guests. Alejandra's eyes gazed towards her with intrigue. There was something off about that girl that's rubbing her the wrong way.

She clicked her tongue and pushed that out of her mind for now. This was a party after all, she was meant to have fun. Instead, everything's all been politics so far. She did have some fun rejecting all the clueless men earlier but that small satisfaction went away quickly and merely turned to mild annoyance.

She pranced around the edges of the ballroom looking for Teresa and Asher so she could have a chat with them. Finally, she catches them heading towards the center of the ball to dance. She smiles as she watches the two get along.

"They've been working hard these past few days, I supposed those two having fun is warranted." She then pouted her lips. "But why didn't they include me, we're all friends here."

Alejandra dejectedly stood by the carved marble walls and pillars as she watched the couples begin to take each others' hands and jive themselves into the dance floor.

She felt satisfied just watching. She wasn't really confident in her dancing anyways. She watched as Teri and Asher separated and switched partners while continuing to dance to the music.

She sheepishly clapped her hands in awe, cheering on her two friends in their endeavors.

However, her long deserved peaceful time was Interrupted by a familiar smooth seductive voice, only this time it was deeper. 

"I didn't expect a lovely lady like you would remain solely unrequested before the dance floor." An orange haired man approached her with his hand reaching out.

Alejandra blinked as she glanced at this boy. He was shorter than her but he exuded a dangerous aura, he had a mature looking smile curving on his face, and finally he strangely felt familiar.

"I am doing quite fine simply watching, Good Sir." Alejandra spat back. The man simply smirked and slid into the seat next to her. His hands went around her and his face sat close to her ear.

"You're still as feisty as ever, My Lady." He whispered with his fingers found themselves on her back as they drew a line along her spinal cord.

"Ah–" Alejandra yelped and covered her mouth. She turned her eyes to glare at the pervert who harassed her. She stood up and raised her hand and slapped him in the face quite harshly. 

The nobles around them began to stare as whispers began to collect.

"Look what you've done." His voice remained rough but for a second Alejandra swore his orange hair flickered red for a moment. "You've caused a scene." He looked straight up at the Lady with a playful grin on his face.

Suddenly, Alejandra's heart dropped. She realized the actual identity of the person she was talking to. Alejandra's gaze was met with brilliant emerald green eyes and an expression that she was oh so familiar to.

Alejandra blinked as Maddison, the Red Witch, dressed as a guy with orange hair, smiled at her. "So you've finally realized." She chuckled and brushed her hair upwards and made Alejandra blush for some reason. "We seem to keep meeting at night, don't we, My Lady?"

A/N:

SORRY FOR THE 3 WEEK BREAK.

I said I was gonna take this seriously but I got stacked up on classwork and then I got sick right after and now soon our exams are coming up. It's exhausting keeping up with things.....

But anyways! Thanks for reading and staying with me, huwahuwa.