Ulrich needed a reason to stand beside Kaliantha when the assassin moved.
Finding one was not easy.
The obvious answer was to approach the Queen, request a private audience, and tell her he had something important to discuss. Yet that would accomplish nothing. A sudden private conversation between Count Rubenhart and the Queen would draw attention. The guards would watch him. The musicians would notice. Any demon hidden in the ballroom would notice.
The masked violinist might abandon the plan. He might leave through the servants' corridors, destroy the weapon in his case, or choose another opening Ulrich had not considered. The demons had already prepared more than one layer of infiltration. Once they knew their assassin was exposed, the danger would become harder to locate.
No.
The plan had to proceed.
Ulrich only needed to be present when it did.
If the attack happened at the dance, the answer was obvious enough to irritate him.
He would dance with Kaliantha.
