Roy sank into darkness.
The body became void, and even the breath ceased to exist. Yet soon, she regained her heartbeat, senses, and emotions unfamiliar and uncontrollable.
She opened her eyes.
In front of her was a brightly lit banquet hall, where well-dressed men and women embraced, spinning and stepping in the dance floor. Mrs. Daisy, in a red dress, lounged lazily on the bench, playing with a goblet.
The air was filled with a faintly warm and ambiguous atmosphere.
Everything was so familiar, so familiar that Roy almost felt the illusion of being back at that masquerade ball.
But a sense of unusual panic enveloped her consciousness. A repressed sobbing voice sounded in her ear: "What to do, what to do... I can't find the Blue Rose anywhere... where did Prince Lawrence go?"
Roy tilted her head slightly.
