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Nangong Jingnu loathes the balls that her parents love to throw.
They're always full of fake, wealthy socialites gathering in their silly glittery masks and flashy gowns and suits, gossiping idly about things she could hardly care less about.
The corsets and long trailing ruby gowns that she’s forced to wear are also bothersome. She misses her usual trousers and simple dresses that don’t pinch her waist till she can hardly breathe.
Only Er-jie’s company makes them worthwhile. She usually spends the time chatting with Er-jie, yet today, just as she’s about to dance with Er-jie, Er-jie is whisked away by a nerdy-looking man with a fan, leaving Nangong Jingnu stranded by herself among the throng of dancing couples.
Nangong Jingnu crosses her arms, glaring at their retreating backs, then sweeping her gaze across the room to glare at the couples whirling around on the dance floor.
Ugh.
This is so boring. If she has to stay here in this stuffy ballroom another moment longer, she’s certain she’s going to go out of her mind.
A few men approach her, asking her for a dance, but she turns down all of them with disinterest.
After the fourth man, she's just about to attempt to sneak out from the ballroom under the guise of getting some fresh air, when a shadow falls across her path.
A stranger is standing before her, dressed in a stunning black tuxedo, with hair the color of raven’s feathers.
A midnight blue mask is covering half of the stranger’s face, leaving the other half in shadow. Intricate wisps of gold twine around small studded stars on her mask, giving off the impression that the stranger is wearing a piece of the night sky on her face.
Slowly, the stranger bows, sweeping one arm low in a smooth, elegant movement.
Then she takes Nangong Jingnu's hand, pressing her lips to it.
Her lips are cool on Nangong Jingnu's, and Nangong Jingnu can't help a slight shiver from running up her spine.
“My lady," the stranger says.
Her voice is steady and calm, like the gentle trickling of water in a stream, and Nangong Jingnu feels herself wanting to trust this strange woman in the tuxedo, against her own will.
She can't explain it, but this stranger standing before her now feels different from all the others who have asked her to dance. There's something about her that draws Nangong Jingnu to her, pulling Nangong Jingnu in like the moon pulls on the ocean tide.
Still, Nangong Jingnu pulls her hand away and gives the stranger a frown.
Everyone here is from prominent noble families, and decked in the symbols and colors of their house crests. This stranger, however, is dressed in black and silver, which belong to none of the houses that Nangong Jingnu knows. Nangong Jingnu's instincts tell her that something is off about that.
“Who are you?” she asks the stranger, suspicion creeping into her voice.
Beneath the mask, the stranger’s lips curve into a smile.
“My name is Qi Yan,” the stranger says, as their eyes meet. “May I have this dance?”
Qi Yan’s eyes are the color of amber, sharp and striking and bright as an evening star, and Nangong Jingnu finds herself unable to look away.
Perhaps that's why despite her suspicions, she’s already taking Qi Yan’s hand, as Qi Yan leads her out onto the dance floor, and the two begin to waltz.