Dalton was astonished at the efficiency with which Melanie captured the crowd's attention. Every face was respectfully turned towards the stage, every ear listening intently to the words leaving her mouth. Every single bureaucrat in attendance was enthralled by the people's new Princess Elect. That was definitely a breath of fresh air. Her duties moving forward would inevitably be trying and difficult but Dalton didn't want to imagine how much more difficult [i]both[/i] their tasks would be if the people didn't like her. As she ended her speech, falling into a deep graceful curtsy, Dalton tried to make his way back towards the front of the room but Melanie was immediately swarmed by those wishing to speak to her and wish her a bright future. He couldn't blame them. He found himself wanting to do much the same. However, he was merely Captain of the Guard and thus would respectfully allow those of more noble rank than himself to have their turn. It wasn't his place anyway. Dalton was here to watch over and protect the Princess Elect from any harm that may come her way. Nothing more.

As the night wore on, Dalton kept an eye on Melanie, always a couple people away at all times. His eyes continuously scanned the crowd and the doors and windows that surrounded the perimeter of the ballroom. Everything remained as it should be, nothing out of place, nothing out of the ordinary catching his eye. Tonight might actually be an easy night for once, contrary to what Dalton originally expected. As his gaze flickered back to Melanie he saw her spill yet another drink. The poor girl. That was, what? Four, five drinks bumped out of her hand? A small chuckle left his lips. She just couldn't catch a break.

A couple more minutes passed by without activity before Dalton redirected his attention back to Melanie. Or at least, back to where he last saw her. Instantly in a panic but forcing himself to remain calm, Dalton scanned the surrounding area for any sign of where she might have gone. It was crowded. She couldn't have made it far. A couple seconds passed in tense silence before his eyes landed on her retreating form. Dalton released a relieved sigh before he noticed the man leading her by the arm and the strained expression on Melanie's face. Frowning, Dalton followed. There was something off about the man but by the look of his clothing, he was definitely a bureaucrat. Still, his instincts told him that the man wasn't to be trusted.