The cravat was crooked.
Again.
Marcus reached up for the fifth time to adjust the silk around his brother's neck. His hands were shaking slightly.
Tonight was it. The moment everything would finally click into place.
"Brother, I can breathe less each time you do that," Theo said mildly.
"Sorry." Marcus loosened it a fraction. "But you need to look perfect. First impressions matter."
"They've all seen me before."
"Not like this." Marcus stepped back to survey his work. "Not at the Royal Ball."
Theo stood in the middle of his room at Silverwood Manor, wearing formal attire that probably cost more than some families earned in a year.
Dark blue coat with silver embroidery.
White shirt with actual buttons instead of his usual training clothes.
Polished boots he'd already scuffed twice just walking across the room.
He looked like a proper noble. Like a protagonist.
If only he'd act like one.
"Alright." Marcus clapped his hands together. "Let's review. What do you say when you approach Lady Seraphina?"
Theo's brow furrowed in concentration. "I ask her about the practical application of lightning magic in damp environments."
Marcus closed his eyes. Took a deep breath.
"No, Theo. We talked about this."
"But it's a genuine question I have," Theo protested. "Her control in the rain last week was impressive. I want to know her technique."
"You compliment her dress first. Then maybe her research. Then, if you must, you can ask about magic."
Marcus rubbed his temples. "But lead with something personal."
"Her dress is personal?"
"More personal than asking about weather-resistant combat applications!"
Theo shrugged, clearly unconvinced.
Marcus added it to the list of things keeping him awake at night. Right between "preventing the apocalypse" and "accidentally stealing a harem."
"What about Lady Catarina?" Marcus pressed on.
"I compliment her tactical formations from the last military review."
"Better." At least it was a compliment.
"But maybe phrase it more casually? 'Your cavalry demonstration was magnificent' instead of launching into a detailed analysis of her flanking strategy."
"Why? The analysis is the interesting part."
"Because normal people engage in small talk before diving into military theory!"
"That seems inefficient."
Marcus was going to have a panic attack. Right here. Before the ball even started.
"Vivienne Blackthorn?" he asked, his voice strained.
"I ask about her adventuring days and what monsters she's fought."
Actually, that one wasn't bad.
Vivienne would probably enjoy talking about her glory days. Marcus nodded reluctantly.
"Good. That's good. And Iris?"
"I ask what she thinks of human culture after five hundred years of observation."
"Theo, that sounds like you're interviewing her for a research paper."
"Isn't she here to observe us?"
He had a point, but that wasn't the issue.
The issue was making him seem romantically interested instead of academically curious.
"Just... try to smile more," Marcus said weakly. "And maybe stand closer than six feet away when you talk to them."
"Why would I stand closer?"
"Because that's what people do when they're interested in someone!"
Theo looked genuinely puzzled.
"I thought you stood closer when you expected combat. For romance, wouldn't distance be more appropriate?"
Marcus made a sound that was half laugh, half sob.
His brother, the Child of Destiny, thought romance required maintaining tactical spacing.
"You know what? Just... don't stand so far away they need to shout."
Marcus straightened Theo's collar one last time. "And please, please try to notice if they look pretty."
"I'm sure they'll all look adequately formal," Theo said.
Adequately formal.
Marcus was sending him into social battle with the emotional awareness of a brick.
"One more thing." Marcus grabbed his brother's shoulders, looking him directly in the eye.
"Tonight is important. Not just for you, but for the kingdom. These women represent alliances we need. The prophecy..."
"I know, Brother." Theo's expression softened.
"You've explained it many times. I'll do my best."
The sincerity in his voice made Marcus's chest tight.
Theo didn't care about romance. Didn't understand why any of this mattered.
But he was doing it anyway because Marcus had asked.
Because despite everything, he trusted him.
Marcus really hoped he wasn't about to completely humiliate his brother.
✧✧✧
The Royal Palace made their manor look like a garden shed.
Marcus had seen it before, obviously.
The original Marcus had attended events here.
But actually walking through those massive gilt doors, seeing the ballroom in full splendor, hit differently.
Crystal chandeliers the size of carriages hung from painted ceilings.
Marble floors polished to mirror brightness reflected the light of a thousand candles.
Musicians in the gallery played something classical and elegant.
Servants moved through the crowd with trays of wine and delicate foods.
And the people. Lords and ladies in their finest, every major noble house represented.
Marcus spotted Duke Thornbeck holding court with the conservative faction.
Duchess Catarina's sister Liliana giggling with other young nobles.
Adventurer-types looking uncomfortable in formal wear, probably Vivienne's crowd.
At the far end, on a raised dais, Queen Regent Elysande sat in elegant observation. She looked amused by the whole affair.
"Impressive," Theo murmured beside him.
Finally, something they agreed on.
Marcus scanned the room, his real mission taking priority.
There. Seraphina stood near one of the tall windows, looking stunning in a deep blue gown.
Her usual strict bun had been softened into an elegant updo.
She was talking with Headmaster Whitehall, probably the only person here she felt comfortable with.
Catarina was harder to miss.
She commanded attention near the center of the room, surrounded by progressive nobles.
Her dress was a deep green that matched her eyes, and she wore her authority like a second gown. Every inch the perfect duchess.
Vivienne leaned against a pillar on the far side, nursing what was probably not her first glass of wine.
Her crimson dress matched her hair, and even from here Marcus could see her looking bored with the formal atmosphere.
Several nobles gave her a wide berth.
Apparently "divorced adventurer" wasn't popular with the traditional crowd.
And Iris... Marcus found her near the refreshment table, examining a pastry with the intense focus most people reserved for ancient artifacts.
Her silver hair was adorned with what looked like actual flowers, and her dress somehow managed to look both elven and appropriate for the venue.
"Alright." Marcus turned to Theo, gripping his arm. "This is it. Your moment."
"The ball just started."
"Exactly. First impressions. You need to—"
"Lord Aldridge! Young Theodore!"
They turned to find a minor noble whose name Marcus couldn't remember approaching with an overly friendly smile.
The beginning of a long night of social obligations.
Marcus smiled politely while internally screaming.
He needed to get Theo alone with the heroines. That was the plan.
That was how this was supposed to work.
But already the crowd was pulling them in different directions.
As the noble droned on about something related to wine imports, Marcus caught movement in his peripheral vision.
Seraphina had looked up from her conversation. Their eyes met across the ballroom.
She smiled.
Not the polite social smile she was giving Whitehall.
A different smile. Warmer. More personal.
Marcus's stomach did something complicated.
No. No, that was just nerves. Anxiety about the plan.
Perfectly normal to feel flustered when...
"Brother, he asked you a question."
Marcus snapped back to attention. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"
As Marcus fumbled through small talk, he noticed Catarina's gaze sweep the room and land on them.
On him specifically.
She said something to the noble she'd been speaking with and began moving in their direction.
From the corner, Vivienne had also spotted them.
She straightened from her casual lean, a predatory smile crossing her face.
And Iris, pastry forgotten, was staring at Marcus with that intense focus she usually reserved for things she found fascinating.
All four women.
All moving toward them.
Or rather, toward him.
The noble was still talking. Theo was politely nodding.
The musicians played something elegant and completely at odds with Marcus's rising panic.
This was it. The Royal Ball.
Where everything would finally go according to plan.
Where he'd successfully redirect their attention to Theo and fix this entire mess.
Any second now.
The ballroom suddenly felt very warm.
Seraphina was getting closer, weaving through the crowd with grace.
Catarina moved with purpose, nobles parting before her authority.
Vivienne's path was more direct, and she looked amused about something. Iris just walked in a straight line, social conventions be damned.
"Theo," Marcus hissed. "Smile. Look approachable. Do the thing we practiced."
"What thing?"
"The charming thing!"
"You never mentioned a charming thing."
The minor noble finally excused himself, probably sensing Marcus's distraction.
Marcus grabbed Theo's shoulders.
"Listen. They're coming. All of them. This is your chance. Just... be yourself.
But the version of yourself that notices when women are interested. Can you do that?"
Theo looked at him with concern. "Brother, are you feeling well? You're sweating."
"I'm fine. This is fine. Everything is going exactly according to-"
"Lord Marcus."
Seraphina's voice, soft and warm, came from directly behind him.
Marcus turned.
She stood less than three feet away.
Up close, he could see the detail in her dress, the way she'd done her hair, the subtle makeup that somehow made her eyes even more striking.
"Lady Seraphina," Marcus managed. "You look lovely."
"Thank you." Her smile widened. "I was hoping we might speak tonight. It's been too long since our last conversation."
"Oh, I, uh..." Marcus glanced desperately at Theo. "Actually, I think my brother wanted to—"
"Marcus!"
Catarina's voice.
Marcus turned to find her approaching from the other side, her dress swishing elegantly.
Behind her, Vivienne was making her way over, and Iris wasn't far behind eiter.
All four of them.
Converging on him.
While Theo stood there looking mildly confused about the whole situation.
The orchestra swelled into a new song.
Something romantic and completely inappropriate for Marcus's current state of panic.
He had prepared for this. He had a plan.
He was going to fix everything tonight.
So why did it feel like he was about to make everything so much worse?