[center][h1]B E A T R I C E  &  Z H E N G[/h1][hr][hr][/center]
        After Raiden made his exit, Beatrice took a moment to survey the ballroom. There were various couples dancing, mostly comprised of the invited nobility. She also took a moment to listen to the music, and to watch the [i]way[/i] that said nobility was dancing. [i]There should be more than enough space in between them for any conversation to be drowned out by the music,[/i] Beatrice mused to herself. [i]Still, it would be good to be careful. Just in case.[/i]

        Beatrice took a few bites of her fruit, turning back to Zheng and giving him a polite smile, mindful of the eyes and ears around them. [color=silver]“Well, since my dear betrothed has left us, do you think you would humor me with a dance, Prince Zheng?”[/color] she asked lightly, a hint of steel creeping into her expression as she smiled at him, again. If Zheng was as clever as her mother and her great-uncle believed him to be, then surely he’d deduce what she was getting at: the opportunity to have a candid conversation about everything that the two of them were involved in, under the guise of a waltz around the ballroom.

        “Oh, it would be my honor Princess Beatrice.” Zheng extended a hand as the band took a slight reprieve before starting their next piece and motioned towards the center of the room. He wasn’t exactly thrilled about having to interact with someone from the Konigreich but out of everyone he could have interacted with, at least Beatrice would be somewhere on the top of this list, “I must confess it's been a while since I last had a lady of your ability to dance with me but I think I still remember all of the moves.

        Beatrice laughed lightly, taking his hand proffered hand as they walked towards the center of the room. [color=silver]“I’m sure you won’t have a problem,”[/color] she replied.

        As the music started up again, Beatrice fell in step with Zheng, letting him lead the dance. After they’d danced for a few seconds, the music swelled, and Beatrice decided to cut to the chase. [color=silver]“So,”[/color] she started, switching to Liangii and keeping her expression arranged in one of polite interest for the benefit of all the onlookers, [color=silver]“you know everything of what my mother and the emperor are planning?”[/color]

        With all the grace he could muster, he fell into a familiar dance pattern as he continued to scan the ballroom, “Of course. I hear that they are planning a most spectacular dinner party in Liang but have concerns for their guests and that the palace might require a... change of style to adapt.” Almost out of habit, Zheng spoke in metaphors, knowing that Beatrice was probably smart enough to pick up on it, “In fact, they’ve already told me about possible renovations and alterations.”

        Beatrice grinned, inwardly, at Zheng’s reaction. [color=silver]“Oh, yes. That I was aware of.”[/color] The two of them spun around in time with the music, the steps coming like second nature to Beatrice after countless hours of being forced to learn every dance in existence, probably. [color=silver]“My mother has told me that my father will not be able to make it to the festivities, unfortunately. I am not sure of the exact details at the moment, but she has told me that he might be...held up. Hopefully, not with anything major.”[/color]

        Translation: Queen Mai König was going to somehow keep King Niklas König from interfering with the plan to marry Beatrice to Zheng and have them inherit the Liangii throne, even though it went against everything that Niklas had been working towards, pretty much ever since he married Mai. How Mai was going to accomplish that, Beatrice had no idea - but she could only hope that it involved the least bloodshed possible.

        (Though, all things considered, Beatrice’s mother had always thought overt violence was a bit, well, [i]gauche[/i]. Still, Beatrice couldn’t be sure)

        Zheng was doing a good job of hiding the fact he was basically letting Beatrice lead him in the dance. His footwork had shown signs of deterioration but he was dexterous enough to keep up with the well trained grace of his dance partner, “How is the Queen these days anyways? I hope that she still has a good number of friends in her age who’d be willing to venture to the festivities? Compatriots you can trust truly seem to be few and far between sometimes in lives such as ours. You have any plans for this little gathering?”

        [color=silver]“Oh, she is well, yes. She has a fair number of friends from her youth who are still around in Liang, but I’m afraid that her friends in Königreich der Welten are also going to be held up with the pressing business that my father must attend to.”[/color] She chuckled softly, and shook her head. [color=silver]“To be frank, I’m not entirely certain if my mother would be very put-off if they didn’t end up making an appearance - most of her friends in Königreich der Welten tend to have beliefs that align with my father’s, when it comes to event attendance. And, well, most other things in general, to be honest.”[/color]

        Beatrice fell silent as the steps of the dance carried them closer to a few other couples, but it wasn’t long before they were moving away from them, once again. [color=silver]“[i]I[/i] will be there, though; I wouldn’t miss it for the world. As for my betrothed, well, he is the crown prince of his country. He may not be able to step away from his work to attend the festivities.”[/color]

        “What a great shame that will be.” Zheng shot a look in the general direction of Raiden has they spun, “I think regardless, the ball will be greatly enhanced with your presence. How elaborate should the honor guard be? While no doubt the venue shall be secure, it is always good to have extra hands for the show. Both hawks and sparrows will be released during the opening ceremony, they shall fly high above us all like guardian spirits of old.”

        Now fully acclimated to the dance pattern, Zheng started to inquire about security and further details as the music once again changed. He let himself have longer pauses between when he spoke to just enjoy the atmosphere and music. It wasn’t everyday he got to dance with a princess in a grand ballroom after all and this he could afford to relax a little.

        Beatrice murmured her agreement - [color=silver]“Such a shame, yes”[/color] - though there was a hard glint in her eyes as she did so. Was she an asshole for continuing to lead Raiden on like that? Perhaps. But she wasn’t going to screw up everything her mother, her great-uncle, and Zheng had worked for, just because of one person’s [i]feelings[/i].

        Beatrice responded to Zheng’s other questions to the best of her ability, though there were several instances where she simply did not know the answer. She flicked her glance around the room, looking for Raiden; he’d gone in the direction of Prince Henri of Luxembourg and Princess Genevieve of Maris at first, but now it looked like he was with Princess Leonor of Nevarrea, now. Beatrice was not overly familiar with any of the three, beyond what was out there in the media and what they put on social media.

        After a few moments of silence, Beatrice spoke again: [color=silver]“I do apologize for being overly forward, Prince Zheng, but I must ask - you and my father have not been acquainted, is that correct? Beyond the visit he made while wearing that black suit one of his generals gifted him a few years ago?”[/color]

        [i]Translation: has Dad made any other overtures into Liang that you know about, besides what happened in that incident where you lost your arm?[/i]

        “No need to apologize, I have gotten used to my arm. At the very least it lets me use the handicapped parking space.” Zheng smiled at Beatrice before continuing to scan around the room for anyone who might have picked up on what they were saying, “The Emperor is still graciously allowing for dignitaries from all walks of life to benefit from the protection of the Son of Heaven.”

        [i]Translation: We’ve managed to catch some “delegates” who were not the normal kind and we have been keeping an eye on both them and the embassy.[/i]

        “Now what about you?” Zheng caught wind of the look on Beatrice’s face, “How do you feel about this grand gala you’ve been invited too?”

        [color=silver]“I see,”[/color] said Beatrice, carefully. [color=silver]“I am afraid those dignitaries will probably be amongst those who have other business to attend to during the celebrations my mother and the emperor are planning. It’s really [i]quite[/i] a shame that they will not be able to be there.”[/color]

        At Zheng’s next question, though...Beatrice smiled at him, and although her words were perfectly polite, the look in her eyes was a perhaps a tad too sharp to be entirely appropriate, given how many bystanders there were. [color=silver]“Prince Zheng,”[/color] she said, sincerely. [color=silver]“I think that I can safely say that I have never looked forward to something as much as I am looking forward to the festivities that will be held in Liang.”[/color]

        As the music slowed and the dancing began to follow suit, Zheng smiled once again, “I am glad to hear that; you will be the life of the party as they say.” He stepped back and bowed slightly to Beatrice before returning to speaking in English, “Thank you for the dance princess, it has been an honor.”

        Beatrice smiled and dipped into a curtsey. [color=silver]“The honor was all mine,”[/color] she responded as the song came to an end. [color=silver]“Now, I suppose that I should go find Prince Raiden, if he is not busy. I will surely see you at the other events here, yes?”[/color] And with that, Beatrice took her leave, scanning the crowd for her betrothed. Her conversation with Zheng had given her plenty to think about; it seemed that the two of them were pretty much on the same page regarding the general plan for the near future.

        [i]Zheng was just about what I expected him to be,[/i] Beatrice mused to herself. [i]Which is a good thing, I suppose. It means that Mom and the emperor chose well.[/i]

        Now, all she had to do was somehow get through two more months of pretending that she intended to marry Raiden. Easy enough, right?