Page 21 of A Yulean Sister’s Guide to Getting Kidnapped

And I didn’t expect it to happen to me.

“I know I have a one,” Paige continued.

“Oh yeah? How?”

“Octavio is so my one.”

My brows shot up, unable to hide my surprise. “How can you be so sure?”

“When you know you know,” she sighed dreamily. “We just have so much chemistry, it’s crazy.”

I bit my tongue. He was clear to me in his disinterest last night, but obviously hadn’t been as honest with Paige. But what did I really know about any of it? I could only tell if someone was interested for the night, which was usually the case.

“Will you talk to him tonight?” I asked, diverting a bit.

“Of course,” she said. “Last night he even asked if I was coming tomorrow. Can you believe that? He’s obsessed.”

I wasn’t so convinced, but who was I to rain on her dream? “I’m sure it will be amazing.”

I finished up my last stitch, knotting the end. “All done,” I told her, snipping the thread.

She stood up, running to the mirror and swishing in front of it. “Sage, you are magic.”

I scoffed, putting my stuff away. “I just have a basic skill.”

“Are you almost ready?”

“Just need to finish my hair, and get dressed.” I promised.

I pulled out all the rollers covering my head and shook it out until they fell into soft waves around my face.

Then I was helped into my dress. The one I’d picked for the evening was my favorite pink color, covered in silk flowers, that were dense near the top but thinned out towards the bottom. The sleeves sat off my shoulders, exposing my entire collarbone, and putting my necklace on full display. The blue was very vibrant against the pink, making it stand out even more. I stared at it in the mirror, thinking about trying to tear it from my skin. I knew it wouldn’t work. Nothing could remove it, certainly not my bare hands. But sometimes I had to fight the urge to at least try.

Maybe it would work this time.

“Ready?” Paige asked impatiently.

I nodded, following her to the party, trying my best to forget about pulling the necklace clean off my body.

The party was already bustling. The ballroom was packed, some people milling around, others already taking to the dance floor. There was an orchestra playing in the corner and trays of hors d’oeuvre circling the room.

“This is beautiful,” Paige commented, glancing around just like me.

As soon as I stepped on the floor, I felt the typical eyes on me.

Time to turn it on, I reminded myself.

The easy smile I reached for when I needed it, pinned to my face for the evening. I could feel my eyes searching for the man from this morning, but quickly chastised myself mentally to stop. I was being ridiculous.

Though it was a lot of effort he was going through to court me for the evening. Most men just employed some version of smooth talking, that only worked because I was already on a hunt of my own. It made me question his motives, but tried not to consider that too deeply. Because he wasn’t from here, he probably thought I was a much harder partner to snag than I was.

The thought that he may have further interest did… intrigue me. But I wouldn’t let it get to my head. I knew better.

Someone walked by with a tray of wine that I instantly snatched one off of. The bubbly drink went down easily, hopefully curing some of my nerves. We were given a wide berth, waiting for the first brave person to come and talk to the princess.

“I think I see Octavio,” Paige exclaimed, pointing to the far corner. It took a bit of looking but I spotted him, through the crowd on the other side of the room, talking in a group.

“Maybe we shouldn’t⁠—”