Page 9 of Her Dragon Defender

By the time she was done, she felt like a prize poodle. But not, thankfully, like Marie Antoinette. Eden did not intend to lose her head tonight.

With one final glance at the blonde stranger in the mirror, Eden turned to head downstairs to where the others would be waiting.

Only to find Headmistress Laima at the top of the stairs, directly in her path.

"Excuse me, headmistress," Eden said, hoping she'd just let her pass.

No such luck.

Instead, Headmistress Laima seemed intent on scrutinising every part of Eden's costume, from head to toe.

When she reached the wig, Eden thought she caught a small smile of satisfaction, but it was gone too fast to be sure. Headmistress Laima never smiled.

"Perhaps now you will have a chance at snaring a husband," she said with a sniff, before turning away. "Now, go downstairs and wait with the others. The coaches to take you all to the ball will be here soon."

Everyone else was already downstairs. Dressed to the nines and making Eden wish she could check her hair in the mirror again. Her fake hair, to make sure her real hair wasn't showing. The wig cap she'd stuffed her own hair into didn't feel right.

Then again, when did she ever feel like she fitted in with these girls? They were all around the same age, between eighteen and twenty-two, but some of these women were downright stunning.

At the front of the crowd, where she could admire her own reflection in the full length mirror, surrounded by sycophants and admirers, was Candace Tunder, Headmistress Laima's favourite student. Candace had evidently spared no expense on her costume for the event, but then she was like Diana, in that she came from a family with money.

She was dressed as Cinderella, in a beautiful blue ballgown with what looked like a million fairy lights sewn into the petticoats, so she actually glowed. Her golden blonde hair fell in cascades down her back, between two gossamer wings. Her mask was a sparkly butterfly painted on her face, which curled into a sneer as she saw Eden walking down the steps into the lobby. Then one of the girls beside her began gushing over her costume, and Candace turned away from Eden to accept the compliment.

Eden quietly slipped behind the girls at the back. Luckily, Rosalind's enormous gold gown hid her from sight.

Rosalind was the first to smile. "Eden, you look amazing. I love your hair!"

"Thank you," Eden murmured, ducking her head to hide her blush. "You can't tell it's a wig, can you?"

"Not at all. If I didn't know better, I never would have guessed," Arwen said.

"Where is the ball?" Eden asked, wishing she'd checked the invitation before coming down. "Should I go upstairs and grab some more hairpins, just in case?"

"It's at the Tremotino Castle, up on the hill, just like the last ball," Arwen said. "We'll only be in the coach for a few minutes, and then we'll be inside. Why, we could walk there, if we weren't all wearing heels." She kicked one of hers up, showing a hint of her frilly petticoat beneath her royal blue and gold gown, before smoothing everything down like the refined lady she was.

Eden bit back another sigh. Arwen's shoes cost more than she would've made in a month working on that cruise ship. Her own were a thrift store find that were slightly too small, and the moment no one was looking, she intended to take them off and go barefoot. As long as the headmistress wasn't at the ball, she'd never know.

"It's not so bad walking back, though, if you miss the last coach. Or if you decide to stay the night. Some of the guys at these things manage to secure a guest room in the castle, and I've heard rumours the beds make you feel like royalty. Not that I've seen them myself, but I've heard..." Arwen's usually snowy cheeks showed a faint blush.

Rosalind looked shocked. "But you know the rules – what if the headmistress finds out? She'd chuck you out of here quicker than you could blink!"

Arwen shrugged. "Not me, though if I did have a tryst in one of the guest rooms, I suspect she might insist on marriage. I heard Tremotino has a resident priest there to perform marriages, should the need arise. I bet he could tell some stories..."

Eden blinked. If Diana truly had married a man she'd just met, then this priest might be able to tell her. Someone must have seen something. Diana wasn't the kind of girl you forgot about.

"The coaches have arrived. Everyone aboard!"

Candace, of course, was the first one out the door, with her entourage trailing like ducklings behind her, and the rest of the girls followed.

When Eden boarded the coach, she found herself sitting behind Sienna and Auren, two other girls she'd seen in some of her classes. Sienna wore her signature colour, red, as always, with an actual cape across her shoulders.

Auren's blonde hair was pinned back, the complete opposite of Candace's, so it wouldn't get in the way of taking photos. As if on cue, she held up her phone. "C'mon, I need a picture of you all looking gorgeous. Say champagne!"

Dutifully, they repeated the word, as Auren snapped what even Eden had to admit were good pictures.

"Isn't Lily coming?" Auren asked, glancing around.

Sienna shook her head. "She wanted to, but she couldn't afford a dress."

---