***

As the ball wound to a close, a lone boy stood in the gloomy courtyard of the imperial palace. He had soft black hair and round blue eyes. No older than sixteen, he had an androgynous grace to him, gaze fixed on the balcony above.

He was watching a girl.

She had coral-colored hair, and even from this distance, he could tell she was beautiful. She stood there alone, apparently waiting for someone. Whoever it was must have shown up because her hand slipped from the banister, and she stepped away. Not too long after, a man appeared where she had been standing.

The man turned a silent glare down into the garden, as if he’d known the boy had been there the whole time, despite the shadows.

A shiver ran down the boy’s spine and he smiled reflexively, delighting in the intense aura of threat the man gave off. It was just a warning, it seemed, as the man abruptly turned on his heel and disappeared.

“Aww, we can’t play together either?” The boy hung his head. “I miss you, Brother.”

It had to be the woman. The beauty. She’d made the boy’s life hell since the day she arrived.

His brother had prohibited him from attending balls like this one. That was fine; he’d sooner avoid them altogether. Still, he’d wanted to meet that girl.

“But we’ll meet soon enough, won’t we?” He spoke to himself in a soft voice. “I’ve got plans for you, Sister.”