Elsa, for the first time that night, felt encompassed by a sense of liveliness. Unaccustomed to it, she cherished the feeling, as it was so different from what she had felt for the majority of her life. Her days were occupied by boredom, by constriction, by ambition, and by feigned enjoyment. She had spent a life devoid of real feeling, and hardly looking forward to much. So even something small that she genuinely looked forward to could make her feel as if she were flying.

Her eyes snapped back to Heinrich, who luckily didn't seem hurt by her daydreaming. She supposed that there was a silver lining in marrying a man this passive. She never liked being constricted, and would prefer a free life with a mousy husband to a heavily constricted life with a bolder husband any day. Of course, it still wasn't the most preferable choice, but she was starting to notice more and more benefits.

And much to her own surprise, she decided to stay with Heinrich for a while afterwards. After all, there was no reason she couldn't have her cake and eat it too. She could pursue a successful marriage, then slip out to see if the rapscallion from the other evening really was there. So it was decided.

"So... How did you meet my mother?" Heinrich asked, an awkward attempt at conversation.

"She's an acquaintance of my uncle." Elsa said. "Do you hunt?" she asked, determined to keep the communication going.

"Not particularly." he replied. "I much prefer to read."

"So, you're more focused on work, then?" Elsa asked, raising an eyebrow in genuine interest.

"Oh, no. I would say I'm more interested in the abstract. Kant, Leibniz, Nietzsche, that sort of thing. I would much prefer to live a scholar than a businessman, actually."

"How terribly interesting! You're a true Renaissance man." Elsa said, hiding her joy behind her comment.

"Th-thank you." Heinrich replied, flushing slightly.

"The pleasure is all mine." Elsa said, flashing a smile.

Heinrich smiled nervously. "I do hope that we'll meet again."

"Well, you must call on me when you're available." Elsa stated. "I should like to see you again."

And with that, Elsa flounced off towards the hallway, feeling as if she had won a battle.

As her heels click-clacked down the marble floor, she gave herself a victorious smile in a mirror upon passing. She had truly found herself a profitable match. She would not only have a title, money, and freedom, but perhaps a seat in the company if she were to play her cards right! And those were what mattered, right?

...Right?

But at the same time, Elsa was still not a lady. A lady was not this scheming and domineering. A lady would let her suitor steer the conversation. However, Elsa didn't mind all that much. She still had plenty of time to be a lady.

She would just have to start after she walked down the aisle.

Elsa turned the corner, wondering if the glimpse of her witty acquaintance had been real. She could have just been thinking wishfully. And suppose somebody spotted her? She would have a troubling time explaining her reasons for being alone in an empty hallway. Someone might even call her a thief. Money wasn't as plentiful after her father's passing, after all.

Was it all worth it? She stopped and considered just that. Now of course she loved feeling lively, but was it enough to balance the risk? Her mother would surely not think so, and neither would any of her acquaintances. So she started to move towards the other direction.

"Fancy meeting you here."

Elsa whipped around wildly. There, leaning against a column and smirking, was the dark-haired youth.

"What are you doing in a hallway of a debutante ball?" Elsa asked, laughing with amusement.

"I suppose I could ask the same about you." the young man retorted.

"Well..." Elsa began. "I was feeling a bit faint, so I decided to step out of the room and get some air." There was no way that she was going to tell him the real reason she was in that hallway. She didn't want to give him any satisfaction in that she truly enjoyed his company.

"Are you sure it wasn't because you missed my charming personality?" he asked.

"Highly unlikely. You've got about as much charm as a wild boar." she joked.

They both snickered.