The last place Draco Malfoy, The Crowned Prince of England, wanted to be was at Pansy Longbottom, The Duchess of Sussex's, ballroom filled to the brim with mamas wishing to make the best match for their chittering daughters and the chittering daughters wanting to be married. Much to his mother's dismay, Draco did not want to make a match and was very content with his plan for his life.

However, as it was, Draco did find himself standing in a bloody ballroom, being presented with every eligible lady while Theo was doing a poor job acting as his guard. The twit had already wandered off to snog some earl and his wife that Draco knew he was particularly fond of.

The man was a blood menace.

"Your Highness, may I present to you my daughter, Lady Avianna Rowle," a woman said, her long grey hair artfully done so that it was woven onto the top of her head in braids and beads. Her daughter, who didn't look old enough to be out in society, had golden blonde hair and the bluest eyes that Draco had ever seen. "Her father is one of the King's youngest advisors. You might know him, Thorfinn Rowle. Our lands are on the coast of the North Sea, and we work to protect the trade routes and shores from invasion."

"Didn't I attend school with your husband?" Draco asked, taking a sip of the wine Pansy's house elves were carrying around. He would need a lot more if he made it through the evening with his dignity intact.

The question had its intended effect, causing Rowle's wife's face to burn a bright red. "He was in his final year of schooling when you came into your first, yes." The wife bit out, but she wasn't deterred. "Avianna turned seventeen just a month ago, being of age to begin looking for a husband. She is proficient on the pianoforte-"

"Instead of tying your daughter to a man nearly twice her age, how about you try speaking with the marquess's first son, who I believe is only five and twenty. He's standing over near the dance floor, horribly shy." Draco directed the ladies using his wineglass toward the little mousy-looking boy who had come by his gift after having muggle parents.

Flustered by his dismissal, Lady Rowle gave a short curtsy and strolled off with her daughter in tow. Draco swallowed the wine, enjoying the warmth that spread through him with the delicious red. It was nothing like what was usually offered in the palace, and Draco found that he rather enjoyed the semi-sweet but still oddly dry red.

"You did not just run off a perfectly acceptable match!" Pansy hissed, pinching his elbow and directing Draco away from the crowd into a secluded corner where they wouldn't be seen or overheard. "What are you drinking, the red or the white wine?"

"She's half my age and red, though I've just run out, so if you wouldn't mind a refill," Draco held his glass out, wiggling it in Pansy's face. Usually, Draco wouldn't allow anyone to speak to or treat him in such a manner. However, Pansy was a particular case as they had been practically raised together. Her father was his father's grand vizier and had grown up in the castle beside him. She was more like a sister than anything, filling the role as if she had been born for it. Which, he supposed, she had.

Pansy scowled and snapped her fingers, a bottle of wine appearing out of nowhere into her hand, filling his glass to the brim. Draco tried to look at the label, but Pansy held it so that her palm covered it. He rolled his eyes, knowing the woman's tricks. Let her keep her secrets, then. He'd ask her husband later and ruin her party by serving the same type at his mother's next ball.

"I will not have your mother cross with me because you've managed to walk out of here without making a match," Pansy hissed, her nostrils flaring and eyes narrowed on him. "My brother has already found a potential bride. I expect you to at least put in more of an effort. You're not to leave this spot until you've finished that glass. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, ma'am," Draco murmured, putting the glass to his lips and drinking the smooth red as if it were a chore. "Anything else I can do for you?" He fluttered his lashes in her direction, making the witch scowl.

He couldn't help but laugh, her perfectly done updo with the damn tiara in her hair glittering and the sage gown that matched her eyes perfectly with patterns of peals sown onto it. She looked the perfect duchess and knew it.

"Just stand here and enjoy my arrangements until you finish your wine. Best to have you drunk enough that you can be more sensible." She scowled one last time and swept from their corner and back into the crowd to entertain her guests.

Draco looked down at the bottle she'd left behind and rolled his eyes at the concealed label. The woman was utterly mental, that was for sure. Drinking down the rest of his glass and enjoying the buzz the alcohol was giving him, Draco felt no need to hurry his way back into the crowd of mamas and their daughters who wanted a chance at the crown.

Pouring the rest of the bottle into his glass, Draco smirked in delight at how it vanished into thin air from his hand once emptied. Pansy had her staff on high alert to accommodate her guest's needs.

Taking another drink, the slight haze over his mind wasn't a concern. He knew that Theo was tracking him and that if Draco were to get into a spot, Theo would appear out of nowhere, like a shadow always lurking. Draco chuckled, weaving his way through the arrangements, enjoying how Pansy had artfully crafted each one.

It wouldn't do to have a herbologist for a husband and then have no idea how to make arrangements that would have all of the ton swooning.

Keeping to the shadows, Draco finished off his fourth – perhaps fifth – glass when he stumbled upon a delightful creature also lurking, though he suspected it for a different reason.

Long curls fell down her back loose, and not even an attempt to tame them for the event made the woman seem all the more like a seductress. The closer Draco drifted toward her, the more divine she smelled, his senses perking at the slight lavender she wore.

Draco nearly dropped to his knees when she tucked a strand of that luscious hair out of her face. She was breathtaking. Her eyes were the same amber shade of firewhisky, and a dusting of freckles over his sun-kissed skin made her look more like a forest nymph than a lady in waiting.

The pale yellow of her dress only made her skin appear as if it were glowing, and Draco couldn't hold back another moment. Approaching her, he knew it was a poor decision, but he couldn't find the will to stop his feet. The fairy lights danced around them, and fuck it all, he had to have her. With his wine finished, he set the glass on a side table and then found himself beside her.

In the glow of the evening, she seemed to have also partaken in the wine since she hadn't first noticed his arrival. Reaching a handout, Draco felt like a moth to the flame when he brushed her cheek with a single finger.

Finally, she noticed his arrival, her eyes widening at his appearance, and dropped into a curtsy.

She kept her head down, and Draco felt a burning to see her beautiful eyes again. He had to have her. It wasn't even a matter of choice at this point. His entire body was aching for her.

Reaching out, Draco touched her chin and lifted it so that she was now face to face with him, though she denied him the pleasure of looking him in the eye with that enchanting color she had.

"Your Highness, I apologize, I didn't see you–"

"The only apology I could accept from you is a chance to gaze into the face of the most beautiful woman I've ever seen." Draco didn't know what possessed him, but words that would never have typically come from him fell from him.

He couldn't look away from the perfectly plump pink lips and groaned, watching her teeth dig into the bottom one, causing it to swell even slightly more. Fuck, he was already hardening in his trousers, and all he'd done was look at the maiden.

"Would you come with me?" He pleaded, knowing how pathetic he sounded but not caring.

The startled look on her face told him she understood what he was asking, and for a moment, he worried that she might turn him down. He could have commanded her to lay with him, but Draco was a man of honor and valued consent with any of his partners. Her eyes darted toward the dance floor where her mistress must have been before looking back at him.

With a nod, Draco took the maiden's hand and led her toward a side exit, excited to finally find some pleasure in Pansy's soiree.