I had been to Felicity's ball room before. I was helping with the preparations at least. Well, the others said I was helping but really it was just Felicity and I standing in a corner approving of minor details. She seemed to think that it was of great importance, but I was pretty sure it was just the servants and butlers humoring us. Either way, seeing the large, marble room then and now were two completely different things.

  Apparently, Demon Queens took their balls very seriously. It was a time to show off to other queens in a way that didn't involve starting wars, so the other demons were happy to pull all the stops and throw truly extravagant parties. I was told that six or sever balls were thrown every year amongst the queens for one reason or another and most queens attend at lest one of these, every year. This year the massive room was packed to bursting with demons dressed in their most expensive gowns and jewelry. Everyone had a wardrobe change before entering the ballroom and now the place was positively dazzling.

  I had also gone through a wardrobe change for the event. I was now in a shimmering black slip of a dress; the sides open nearly to my hips and the cloth dragging on the floor around my bare feet. It was in no way functional and I would likely trip and fall if I tried to run in it, but I preferred it to the pounds of cloth I had to wear most of the day. And the copious amounts of exposed skin and cleavage didn't really bug me any. I wasn't a touchy-feely person but I also wasn't body shy. I could have come in here stark naked and not have care one bit so long as people kept their grubby hands to them selves.

  And I wasn't the only one dressed less queen like than any royal on Earth would have. But most wore more sedated dresses, but everyone was gorgeous to the extreme, even those that may have been considered more manly than the typical human view of a queen.

  These balls were probably the only time in the demon world that there were more women than men. Many of the queens had brought their one aloud butler but several others decided to attend unescorted. I had Kieran with me. No way was I going to be forced to interact with hundreds of strangers and do it all on my own. He wore a fancy tux with a jacket that had long tails. He literally looked like some hot demon butler from a movie. How dare most demons look gorgeous! Didn't seem fair to me but who was I to judge I suppose.

  "You look stunning Lady Sin." He told me with a bow, holding out an arm so that he could escort me the proper way. "Even if you also look like you would rather be any place else." He added with a smirk.

  "That obvious huh?" I asked, smoothing out the dress and glancing about nervously. There was no dancing going on despite the gentle music being played by the orchestra on the other side of the room. Mostly people seemed to be chatting and laughing amongst one another. I also noted that I was drawing a lot of attention from those around me. It was to be expected of course, it was my party, and I was the new girl in town. But that didn't mean I had to like it either. "Exactly how long does this last?"

  Kieran laughed. "Lucky for you that the Presentation went on so long. You will only have to mingle for a couple hours."

  I groaned. Only? Yuck. I tried to pick out a friendly face amongst the queens. If I could find Felicity or maybe that Christine Queen than I could get through the night with minimal socializing. But I couldn't make either out amongst all the fancy dresses and done up hair and make up. Damn it.

  "Sin Andra." Purred a familiar voice from behind me. I sighed and spun to meet the gaze of Queen Victory once again. She laughed, the diadem on her forehead sparkling under the chandeliers and in her hand a flute of red wine. She was dressed in a deep green chiffon gown that made her look even more like a jungle Queen. She looked like she was supposed to have a tiger at her side and have everyone here bow before her. I hoped to have her power and presence when I grew up to be a big girl demon. "You look like a maiden in need of rescuing. It is not a flattering look for one such as yourself." She said with a laugh. "You strike me as a woman much like myself."

  I sighed and smiled at her. "Perhaps, under normal circumstances. But I am not fond of large gatherings. Especially ones where I am supposed to be the center of attention."

  At that she broke out into a loud, deep laugh. "But you draw attention so well and so effortlessly."

  "I guess that is a fact that I can't really deny." I said with a small smile of my own.

  "Well, we can not have you being a wall flower at your own party." She chided, taking my pale arm in her firm hand. "Come, let us get you a drink and something to eat. Then I will introduce you around."

  This woman had all the charisma, and I was in awe. She had me making the rounds in no time flat and making up for my awkwardness with extreme ease. She was powerful and dignified and seemed to know at least a little of every Queen in attendance. After an hour of following Victory around I knew more about this land than I ever thought I would. But mostly I came out with unending amounts of unverified gossip.

  "You looked drained." She chuckled once we were alone once again, having just said good bye to Felicity who claimed she needed to speak to a few other Queens. She offered to have me join her, but I was at my limit.

  "Put me in a room full of dangerous monsters over this any day." I sighed, resisting the urge to rub my eyes and ruin my make up. "How can you be so good at this?"

  She laughed. "I may live in a jungle, but I am a woman who loves to be in the know. Keep in mind that I have a lot more years of practice in this than you do."

  "Yes, that is true. Still, I am impressed."

  "As you should be." She said teasingly. "I am sure you will not have to suffer much longer. I see many who are about ready to be on their way."

  "On their way?" I asked. "I thought that there was supposed to be a meeting tomorrow?"

  "Oh, there is." She said, eyeing a butler with an appraising eye as he walked past us, no doubt getting his queen a drink. "But most here will not be in attendance. It'll just be nosy people like me and then those who will likely be affected by the discussions taking place. Most of the people here have no interest in the political dealings that are set to be discussed tomorrow morning. They just wanted to be seen, do some seeing, and have a good excuse to show off."

  "I was told that these parties were seen that way."

  "Oh yes." She said with a nod. "Many Queens use a presentation to prove their wealth or talent in the gifts they give. Then there are people like me who just wanted to see something interesting. Am too old, and too amazing, to bother with the show boating."

  I laughed openly. It felt good to laugh for real as it was something I didn't do all that often. "You are in no short supply of confidence. I like that."

  She smiled happily. "I am glad we get along so well. Not many appreciate my unique personality. It bugged me in my younger years, but not so much these days."

  "Who do you think will be staying then?" I asked, eyeing the people around me more appraisingly.

  "Hmmm. Well, Felicity is the one introducing you so that means that she has taken some small responsibility for you. So that means that the Queens who own lands near here will have a vested interest. I'd say that Cristine will be there and Queen Cinder and Queen Mairith too. Their lands boarded this one and their property is large and under used. They may have to give up a portion to you for your new Queendom. I would think that Queen Darcious will attend as well. She lost a sister to the battle with Rougier, and I do not think she is feeling as forgiving as me."

  I tried to keep up with the names, but many had become blurs over the entire day and only Cristine had stuck in my mind at all. I was a little worried over this Darcious woman though. A family grudge could be bad. I wasn't sure how demons, who lived such long lives, handled such things but I wasn't eager to find out either.

  "Would there be blood shed over it?" I asked worriedly.

  "No" she said softly. "Not likely at least. It was so long ago, and she is a fairly old queen in her own right, not prone to emotional decisions. But she may try and slight you in some way. Perhaps influence the size of the lands you are allotted or even the quality of them. You would be hard pressed to start a line from scratch in an arid desert after all. I would just be wary. Actual fights between queens or lines are incredibly rare after all. And, though the loss of a sister is no small thing, it would reflect poorly on her if she started the first clan war in seven thousand years over it. Especially since you had nothing to do with the acts of Rougier, even if you are his master now."

  "Alright. I suppose I can manage that at least."

  "Apologies, Lady Sin." Victory said suddenly, returning to a more formal tone and standing a little straighter. I looked over and saw that she was eyeing someone on the other side of the ball room. It was too crowded for me to make out exactly who had gotten her so serious. "I see some one I have been meaning to speak with. Not sure the next time I will get the excuse given we do not see eye to eye."

  "Did you need me to accompany you?" I asked, worried.

  She smiled at me but shook her head, the smile fading rather swiftly. "It will be fine. I will not start a commotion during your ball. But I would like to speak with her all the same. I can't imagine it will take long. Why not get yourself something to eat... I have a feeling you have been told this often enough, but you need to eat more. I swear taming that tiger earlier took five pounds off you..." She eyed me worriedly before tossing a meaningful look over my shoulder to Kieran, making me roll my own eyes.

  "Yes, yes. Very well." I sighed. Who ever thought I would be so hounded over my lack of weight. Though I think Victory was right and I had burned through a few calories taming Shinra earlier. A snack wouldn't hurt anyway.

  Kieran faithfully followed me to the buffet table and made himself busy getting me a plate of food. Gods forbid a queen get her own plate in a formal setting after all. Still, he was much better at picking out the good stuff amongst these demon foods than I was. Not that I was picky over food. Going without made one grateful for any and every meal, no matter where it came from or what it tasted like.

  He had hardly left my side when I was approached by another butler. I did not recognize him, after all I hadn't really met the queen's attendants and even the queen themselves were mostly a blur at this point. He was tall and muscular with red gold hair and a thick beard of the same color. His eyes were red but wider than I was used to amongst the demons, giving him a some what baby like face. Perhaps that was why he grew the beard. His tail was long and dragged on the floor, its red scales glimmering in the candlelight and the barbed end looking pretty dangerous.

  "Sin Andra." He said in a low rumbled, an odd sound when coupled with the boyish face. "It is a great honor to attend this gathering and meet you in person. I am much grateful to my own Queen for the opportunity."

  "Um, yes." I said awkwardly. If he was grateful to his queen then should he not be thanking her and not telling me? "Sorry if we were already introduced, but I am afraid I can not recall your name." We were not introduced. I wasn't introduced to any of the attendants really, but I wasn't all that sure what else to say.

  "I am Garven of Queen Komura's line." He said with a small bow. The name of the queen sounded familiar at least. I think she had given be a chest of gems if I remembered correctly. "I thought I would take this opportunity to introduce myself you your highness."

  "Oh, well, its good to meet you then Garven..." Wow could I get any more awkward? I was, by no means, unaccustomed to interacting with men. Any, and all men really, though I was not very fond of romance overall. Or more like I didn't much believe in the thing people referred to as romantic love. I hadn't had many opportunities to find myself trusting any men. The closest I had come to even a friendship with the opposite sex was with the men in the Red Bulls and now with Kieran. What had me stammering was the unfamiliar setting and my lack of understanding on what was and was not offensive in these situations.

  "I am honored. If you would like, I could get you something to eat- "

  At that second Kieran appeared at my side, plate in hand. One arm bent behind his back he made a small bow and handed me the small China plate with a few bite sized foods on it. I took the dish gratefully and sighed in relief. My hero.

  "Garven." Toned my butler, a small, polite, nod of the head to the other male. "I am not surprised that Queen Komura saw fit to have you attend her this evening. It is a great honor indeed."

  Despite Kieran sounding nothing but polite and sincere, even if his eyes did not hold the humor I often saw in them, Garven did not seem impressed in the slightest. The male seemed to be holding back a sneer and his wide red eyes flashed with something ugly I couldn't quite place. "I am a little surprised to see you however, Kieran. It must have been a true shock and honor for you to have been assigned to Queen Sin by Queen Felicity. It must be hard for the young Queen to have no males of her own to put trust in-"

  "Excuse me?" I snapped, going from uncomfortable to irritated in a flash. I may not know why Garven was taking this tone, but I did know that he was trying to insult Kieran in some way.

  "It is alright My Lady. I am not offended-"Began Kieran, but I interrupted him immediately.

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  "Well, I am." I said, flashing angry eyes at both men. Kieran seemed to wise up a little and his mouth snapped shut. Clearly Garven didn't get that subtle message, however.

  "I am sure Queen Felicity meant no offense Lady Sin." Said the male, eyes even wider in his apparent back peddling. He seemed to believe that it was Felicity that had offended me and not his own moronic mouth. "She only has her mother's males to choose from and- "

  "Queen Felicity has been nothing but open and welcoming to me." I said in a deadly hushed voice. I saw Kieran's eyes widen and knew that he realized that the other male was starting to step into dangerous waters. He may have only known me for a week or so but he was a smart butler and could see warning signs better than most. "Are you claiming that she has mistreated me in some fashion, Garven of Queen Komura's line?"

  Garven swallowed and took a nervous step back, finally understanding that he had said some thing that had offended me, in a bad way. "No, I did not intend to imply- "

  "But you did imply that. You also implied that Kieran was an unfit butler. Why?" Clearly the two men knew one another enough to recognize each other, but did they have some sort of bad mojo between them. If so then why would this Queen Komura have brought the male here where he may have run into the male?

  "No I- I just meant that it is difficult to be attended to by one who does not have a queen." He stammered, taking another step back, but I took one toward him, stepping in front of Kieran, wanting to be sure that he was not targeted again on instinct. He would tell me off for it later. It was his job to defend me not the other way around after all. Or so he would say at least.

  "Kieran does have a Queen. He has me." I growled.

  I was about to advance on the male again when another voice reached my ears. "See Komura. I told you your butler was irritating Lady Sin." It was the low purr of Queen Victory and it had me stopping my advance and turning to the new commers.

  "What do you think you are doing Garven?" Hissed a tall, leggy Queen with white gold wavey hair down to her ankles. I instantly remembered her as a Queen who had shown up around half way through the day. She had given me a selection of rare fruit seedlings. Komura Queen of Revelry. Kieran had told me that she was famous for attending just about every festivity thrown by the Queens. She was good natured and kind but a little naive as well.

  Garven, noticeably pale, bowed to his queen and quickly retreated to her side, avoiding any kind of eye contact with me.

  "Sorry for my male's insult Lady Sin." Said the Queen, her slight bow causing her golden locks to touch the floor. She was dressed in a pink lacy dress that made her look almost angelic despite the tail and horns. "I would not have brought him had I known he was so rude."

  I took a calming breath and sighed, shaking my head to clear it. "No. I may have overreacted a little. I am also sorry Queen Komura. It was probably rude to have snapped at your butler even after you gave me such a generous gift earlier today."

  "I will take him away at once." She said, giving the male an angry glare. "I will bring him back to our lands and be sure he has no reason to return to your sight."

  "No." I said, shaking my head. "Please, stay. I would hate to have you leave over this. It makes me happy to see you all enjoying the party. I hope this doesn't ruin the atmosphere."

  Komura seemed relived. She was a rumored party animal after all. No doubt Garven would get a stern tongue lashing later for nearly making his queen miss such a happening event. It wasn't often that nearly all the queens were in one place after all. Someone like her would not want to miss a prime opportunity like this one. She wasted no time hurrying her butler off before I could changed my mind and have them both removed.

  Once they were gone, I sighed and glared down at my plate of food, still annoyed. It wasn't till I heard Victory chuckle that I looked up, confused as to what was so funny.

  "What?" I asked, a little snappier than the Queen deserved, but I was irritated, and the source of the frustration had fled.

  "Its just... Well, I am very sure that that male will never dare to approach you again. You scared him off well and truly." She laughed, red eyes sparkling.

  I growled then stuffed a small square of what tasted like a kind of melon into my mouth. "Well, he was being an ass and deserved worse. Where does he get off saying that my butler is less than any other or that Felicity is some how worse off for having Garris and the others? Its none of his business now is it."

  Kieran smiled at me kindly. "I am honored that you stepped up in my defense Lady Sin. But I am quite sure that that male was simply trying to flirt with you. As for his comments concerning myself and the line, I belong to... well, many feal that way, and with good reason. It is a fact that having servants not of one's own line is less than optimal. Lady Felicity can not share mana with those of my line as well as she will be able to with her future family. One male of her own line can be several times more effective as a servant than ten who are not of her line."

  "Tch!" I said glaring at the direction the source of my ire had fled. "I haven't had any problems! And even if that is the case that your family is less effective than her own future family, she is not making one any time soon now, is she? So, I would assume any assistance is better than none." I stuff another square into my mouth only to wince when it turned out to taste more like cheese than the red melon that it looked like. "And who the Hell flirts with someone by insulting their benefactors and their servants anyway!"

  "You do hold a grudge." Laughed Victory. "I find I like you more every time you speak." She ran a clawed hand through her hair and smiled. "I assume he was planning on flirting with you normally before your butler showed up. Normally it is bad form for a male to interfere in such an interaction, but even I could see you desperately wanted rescuing."

  "Humph. It was awkward." I said feeling a little bad for the man but mostly still really insulted.

  "It is common for Queens to meet potential partners at these events. As you can imagine, they are mostly around family." Said Kieran. "It is usually only during large events like these that queens have an opportunity to meet with strong and dependable males. It is why the men who are invited to escort their queens are honored to receive the position."

  "Well, I am not in the market for a boyfriend, thanks." I snapped.

  "What is a 'boy friend'?" Asked Victory, still looking quite amused.

  "It's a term referring to a man, someone in a committed relationship with another person." I sighed, my anger beginning to fade.

  "Committed relationship?" Snorted the Jungle Queen. "Like those humans have? I have heard that they throw large parties and claim to devote their whole selves to one another till the day they die. Some even beyond that." She laughed, like the very idea was the funniest piece of gossip she had ever heard.

  "Yup. Well, no not exactly. That is more like marriage. A boyfriend is a more temporary thing I guess." I sighed, just not even in the mood now. I didn't want to do this to begin with and now I was just completely drained.

  "Poor things." She sighed. "Anyway, if you are good and rescued, then I am off again. Judging by the look of you this party will be good and over in less than an hour and I have a couple more people I want to greet before it ends. I will be sure to see you before I leave."

  "No staying for the meeting then?" I asked. I had sort of thought that she was going to attend, just out of curiosity.

  "No." she said, waving a dismissive hand. "Too much boring talk for me. So, I will pass. But I do hope to see one another again soon. Its not every millennium that I meet someone so entertaining."

  "Gee thanks." I said but with a good-natured smile. She gave me a quick hug then hurried off.

  "I think I will keep close to you till this night ends, shall I Mistress?" Chuckled Kieran.

  I gave him a dirty look but nodded. "Yeah, that would probably be for the best. I want some air."

  "Very well, come, I will take you out too the balcony. I am sure you will avoid most of the interested males at least."

  "You are so funny." I drawled, following behind my butler.

  It was not a quick trip, even though it was just on the other side of the room. I had to stop often to greet queens and share small talk and gratitude for gifts received. If I never had to attend another one of these parties again it would be too soon. Still, I predicted that there would be no avoiding all of them in the end, both here and on Hearth too no doubt.

  Once we finally reached the open air of the night sky out on the balcony I sighed. At last, open space and clean, unscented air. I now understood Rougier's distaste for the perfumes of the demon queens. My new demon nose was far too sensitive to handle it, and these were scents made for demon noses. I could only imagine how perfumes made for people with less sensitive noses would smell. But the outside was fresh and clean with a restorative breeze.

  "You do seem quite worn-out Sin." Said a concerned Kieran as I leaned against a stone banister, the grand courtyard below and behind me and the wide dark sky above. I had to admit that the night sky here was something to behold. Just like earth and Hearth it was black and full of stars. But unlike them, there were two moons and what looked like a glowing red milky way between them. And in a few weeks, both of those moons would be out in the day light, and I would be able to go back to Hearth at last.

  "I am, I guess. I am not good a things like this. I am not a social creature by nature." I sighed, closing my eyes, and enjoying the breeze and the feel of the mana flow around me. It was a wonder I never noticed there, back on Hearth. Perhaps it just wasn't as obvious as it was here on Demonia. That or it had to be known before one could sense it. Either way, I could not imagine not feeling the warm pulsing energy all about me. The world would feel wrong without it. "I think I will miss this place when I leave." I mused.

  "It matters not to me what you decide, for I will follow wherever the fates take you my queen, but if you wish to stay then why not stay?" Kieran asked, and I could feel his eyes on me.

  "No, I need to go back. My monsters aside, I feel like there is still unfinished business there. I can't even pin point what it is, but I feel like I would regret not going back." I opened my eyes and looked out over the walls of the castle. "I have an infinite number of lifetimes to live, and I plan on living everyone to the fullest. This is my second chance, and I will not waste it second guessing my life choices as I did with my last life."

  "Was your life on Earth truly that bad?" He asked, clearly curious as much as he was concerned. I couldn't blame him, after all I rarely spoke about my past or even my future. I learned that the present was already hard enough to deal with, without worrying about what had happened and what still hadn't.

  "I am sure that millions of people had it worse than me, but yes, it was that bad to me. My family was horrid, I learned to keep people at a great distance, and there fore had no friends. I barely had acquaintances. I lived homeless and afraid almost all the time. I stole to eat; I stole to keep warm. And I killed just to feel a little safe." I turned and looked at the man who had sworn himself to me. He was the most meaningful connection I have ever had with another person. If you didn't count monsters as people that is. But even my monsters were not as close to me as he was right now. I think that I would truly call Kieran my friend, and that was such a big thing for me. A scary thing too.

  "On Earth," I said slowly. "Demons are not a thing. Not really. And those who do believe in demons would not see you, and others like you, as real demons. On earth demons are creatures of malice and evil. Tricksters and torturers. The worst of the worst and things of people's nightmares. They believe that they live in a fiery, horrid place called hell where evil human souls go to be tortured for all eternity."

  He blinked in surprise. "I would not call Demonia that at all." He said simply.

  "Nor would I." I said, again enjoying the flow of pure and unsullied mana. "But when Kradiff was listing off the races I could be after I died- when he said the last race was demon... Well, I thought that that sounded about right. I saw myself as a bad person. I Was a thief and a killer. I would take from a man just so that I could have a slightly better life, and not regret it for a second. I had taken a man's life in fear and anger, and I still do not regret it to this day."

  "You thought you deserved to be seen as an evil person?" He asked softly.

  I nodded. "I mean, I wanted all that Kradiff said being a demon could give me: strength, long life, and mountains of magic. I wanted to be strong and untouchable with minimal effort. And, yes, I thought that those things coming with the label of 'demon' seemed to be poetic in a way." I sighed and interlocked my fingers. "Now I find myself worried that I can't uphold what being a demon truly means. How can I, a tainted and unworthy thing, be everything that a demon Queen needs to be?"

  "My Lady?"

  "I see all these other queens, graceful, dignified, and respected. Confident in their roles in this world and fulfilling these roles splendidly, even if they do seem a little self centered and scatter brained at times. I see them and wonder how I can be that way. Do I even want to be that way? I think that's why I can't stay here right now. I am not ready, as a person, to fulfill the role that I would be expected to fill here."

  I felt a warm hand rest a top my head and looked up in surprise. Was Kieran seriously patting me on the head right now? And was I really tearing up? Ugh.

  "You are so young Sin." He said softly. "Even before you became a demon, to us, you are still very young. Look a Felicity. If you had been a demon from the start, you would not look much older than she is. Even I am considered young to my kind, even if I am of age. It is normal to not be ready to uphold such responsibilities at your age. Felicity does it, yes, but she is a special breed of female, that one."

  I laughed and shook my head, dislodging his hand. "She is special."

  "Indeed." He leaned on the rail and looked off into the distance with a smile. "Let us get you back to Hearth my queen. It will be your first conquest as queen. Surly, if you can put that rag tag world in some kind of order than becoming a real and true demon queen would be an easy task, yes? And do not forget; you will have me at your side for as long as you allow me to be there. Not to mention your horrid little dragon. He may be a monster, but I can tell he cares for you just as much as I do. We both owe you, for giving us this better life."

  Now it was my turn to be surprised. "I haven't done anything so special." I said with a dismissive eye roll.

  He laughed. "Everything you do is special. Weather that is a good or a bad thing depends on the situation at this point. But as for Rougier and I, you are a good thing. Without you, Rougier would still be alone on a poisoned mountain-top, in a vile prison of his own making, with nothing but anger and regret for company. As for me... well, what Garven said was not far off the mark. I would not have been of much help to Lady Felicity. No more so than any other male who lives here in any case. And eventually, in the very near future, we would be of almost no use at all. We would have been assigned a Reihee, and she would have done her best to find queens willing to take in un-blooded servants. Most of us, me included, would have slowly faded with out our queen to aid us. It is the way of demons, and I had accepted that." He turned and smiled at me, his handsome face filled with what I took to be gratitude and affection, though both emotions I didn't have much practice in seeing. "You told me that you needed me. Sure, it was my eyes that you were fond of, but I am attached to them, and they would surly not work without me attached to them." He said with a laugh. "You need me. And if that is the case, in what ever form that need takes, I will be there. I am well and truly yours Sin Andra, and am proud to call you my queen. So, if you want to take over the whole of Hearth then I will go there and I will do all I can to make that happen for you."

  I glared at the man. "What?" He asked, and I could tell he was worried he had offended me in some way.

  "My first order for you is that you are absolutely not aloud to ever tell anyone I cried." I said, stiffly.

  "Wh-?" His eyes widened as large warm tears began leaking down my face. So much for never crying. Stupid demon butlers and their stupid, sincere, emotions! He sighed softly and I felt a warm hand land on my head once again. "I will take it to my grave."

  Before I knew it, I was against his shoulder and doing my best not to sob like a damn baby. I hoped that Kieran was keeping a look out for anyone approaching us. I, so, did not want to have to explain why I was crying out on the balcony while a party in my honor was taking place behind me. Who knew that becoming a demon meant that I'd be prone to weeping my eyes red- okay, redder- every few weeks.

  After a few moments, where I was thankfully not discovered to be a baby, I dried my eyes and stepped back. I had one good snuffle, shook myself, then squared my shoulders, letting out a puff of air from my nose. Time to buck up and put my big girl pants on once again.

  "Better?" Kieran asked, he looked mildly concerned but also relived.

  "I am fine." I huffed making the man smile. "I want to go back to Hearth. But I also know I can't just pick up and leave either. So, I will use the next two weeks to get things situated here as best as I can, as well as to prepare for our departure." I rubbed a puffy eye and fought the need to sleep. "Once the meeting is over tomorrow, we will need to get to work Kieran."

  He grinned and stood straight, arms folded behind his back, looking very professional. "As you say Milady. All you need do is ask, and I will see that it is done, what ever those preparations may be." I heard my name called out from within the ball room and sighed, so ready for this to be done with. Kieran laughed. "Come, let us return to the party. I think they are getting ready to wrap it up anyway, and you must say farewell to your guests."

  "Yes, alright..." I groaned.