Lucia was nervous and she could see it very well in the mirror. Her eyes looked too wide and scared, her lips were pursed and tiny beads of sweat were forming on her forehead.

She dabbed at it with her handkerchief and looked down at her dress.

Ezio had lent her enough money to purchase fifteen dresses, but she had chosen wisely and saved the rest to give back to him. There had been so many lovely dresses, that she had been so confused. It was the Doge's birthday and that meant she would have to dress up accordingly.

Lucia remembered turning to look for his opinion, when to her disappointment; he had made excuses about having some work to be taken care of and had then proceeded to walk towards Teodora's.

At least he wasn't with Caterina and that provided her with some solace. She smoothed down her rose-pink dress with golden lace and then adjusted the pins in her hair. She had left some tendrils loose so that they fell gracefully on her shoulders and she reached for the bottle of rose water.

Would he like it? Would he even be there? Her mind was ridden with questions and Lucia pushed them away. She reached for a silver mask, and thumbed the pink feathers sprouting from the sides.

Ezio didn't know what she was wearing and she didn't know if he would even be there. What if the mission ended badly?

Lucia instinctively reached for her dagger. There would be too much security there and her combat skills were still too amateurish. She felt for the small pouch she had hidden under the belt of her dress. There was a tiny vial of medicine and poison inside, as well as two smoke bombs. On the side of her right leg, she had strapped three throw knives.

Taking a deep breath, she headed towards the Palazzo Ducale. Right near the gates, she spotted three guards checking for the invites and then looked behind her to see a woman getting off from her carriage. Putting on her mask, Lucia headed towards her. As the woman started to walk, Lucia bumped into her and made her drop the mask she was carrying.

"Mi Dispiace!" Lucia apologized and bent to pick it up.

"That's alright." the woman answered haughtily. "Be mindful of where you walk."

Lucia handed the mask back to her and smiled as her other hand reached for the invitation card in her belt.

She bowed to her and made a hasty retreat towards the gate.

"My invitation." she said and handed it over to them.

The guards looked at her masked face then back down at the invite. One of them nodded and stepped aside, letting her pass. Lucia turned around to see the woman walking up and moved quickly inside.

At least the first part of her plan had worked well. If only Ezio had been there to see how artfully she had pickpocketed that woman.

She had been to a few parties in Firenze with her parents, but she had never seen one as grand as this. There were jesters spitting fire out of their mouths, stalls set up to lend guests masks for the masquerade if they didn't have one and plenty of games to entertain them. Overhead, colorful flag garlands were hung along with lanterns on every pole. Soulful music played in the background, wooing guests to come to the center and dance with their partners.

Lucia looked down at her dress and felt relieved. If she had chosen anything cheaper, she would have looked out of place. The women wore silk dresses with heavy laces or embroidery. Some of them even wore small hats and they all wore really fancy masks. The men were dressed in heavy coats or silk shirts and bore proud stances, but one glance around the room told her that Ezio hadn't arrived.

She started to feel nervous. What if he wasn't intending on coming? Taking a deep breath, she decided that this was her trial after all. Nevertheless, her eyes searched for him and when she still couldn't spot him, she looked up thinking that he maybe perched up on the rooftops.

Lucia sighed and started to walk slowly. It was time to blend and after all she may be wrong about Ezio not being here. There were too many people and they were all masked. But her heart told her otherwise and that he hadn't arrived.

Lucia pushed away these thoughts when she heard two men talking.

"The Doge won't arrive until at least ten o'clock." one of the men said. He was dressed in blue attire while his friend wore deep red, Lucia noted mechanically.

The other man removed his mask and wiped the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve. "Cosi Caldo!"

"There's his lapdog." the first one said pointing towards the entrance.

Lucia turned around to see a man with brown shoulder length hair enter. He was medium built and wore dark blue clothes and matching hat. He was holding a red mask in his hand and a satchel in another.

Lucia moved away and made her way to the refreshments table. She picked up a glass of water and started to sip, eyeing the new guest discreetly. He had beady eyes and a light beard and a sour expression on his face.

This was him- her target, according to the sketches within the assignment package. Lucia closed her eyes. Time to think like an Assassin she told herself. This time when she opened her eyes, she didn't see the grandeur of the party, rather she began to see all the other things she had missed. On the entrance there were two guards. Outside there had been three. On each corner of the square, there were two guards stationed and four brutes patrolling. She looked up to see three guards on each rooftop of the surrounding building. When the Doge arrived, there would be more.

Lucia held her breath and cursed herself for being impulsive. Stefano was well suited for this assignment and she had acted carelessly. Ezio was right about her and had every right to be enraged with her.

"Scusami. Would you like to dance?"

Lucia looked at the masked man standing before her and studied him. He was shorter than Ezio, had a beard and light hair. The way he was standing right now gave her proof that it wasn't Ezio. He was much too graceful than the man standing before her. Lucia started to decline and then turned to glance at the official. A plan started to form in her mind and she took the man's offered hand.

The man took her hand and placed it on his shoulder while his own curved around her waist.

"It's a lovely party, no?"

Lucia adjusted her mask and glanced at the official who was speaking to a heavy set man. "It is." she said and stepped closer to where the official was standing. Her partner looked at her quizzically and followed her steps. Lucia continued to sway and step towards the chairs where the official had now moved. Her plan was to get near enough, throw a smoke bomb and stab him.

The music changed to a faster tempo and Lucia found her chance to step further away from her partner. She broke away from him and held him at army's length as the dancers around them started to twirl.

Lucia looked around her and saw that the other dancers were exchanging partners as they danced. She let her hand fall from her partner's and took the other man's hand.

"Ciao!" he greeted but Lucia didn't pay him heed and stepped even closer to the official. Only one more step and she would be exactly in front of her target. With her eyes fixed on him, she started to pull a smoke bomb from her belt and step towards him, when a firm hand clasped her wrist firmly.

Even before she turned, she knew exactly who it was. As he pulled her closer towards him, Lucia forgot everything around her but him.

"Not yet." Ezio was saying but all Lucia could think was how wonderful it was that he had finally arrived.