The sedative melodies wafted throughout the air around the guests, locking the dignified romance into the atmosphere formed within the brimful ballroom.

His gloved hand holding the wine glass by the stem, he brought the crimson liquid up to his lips, allowing the tang of the wine's flavor to spread across his tongue.

His gaze traveled between the countless faces of the guests, the faces who remained masked while others carried on without one, the blissful couples dancing slowly with one another, as though they were gliding across the marble floor, and the acquaintances laughing together over a glass of red wine or champagne.

His eyes settled on the woman standing on the far end of the royal ballroom, directly across from him. Their solemn eyes met in an unbreakable tension, navigating the twists and turns of one another's souls. He seemed to recall the woman, yet was not able to recall a name nor title to her.