By the time Jason and Philip arrived at the Ball, it was pretty clear that it had been going on for a while: the air felt warm, the punch bowl was being refilled, some of the musicians were moving their feet around. Philip noticed the Royal Advisor by the thrones and nudged Jason’s arm so he could see as well.

“Isn’t he handsome?” Philip asked Jason.

“Well, I’ve got to say, he’s not exactly my type, but that shouldn’t stop you from going after him,” Jason responded.

“Are you sure?”

“Yea, go ahead. I can manage for a while.”

After being hugged by Philip, Jason was on his own venturing through the crowds and space to see what he could manage in his new figure. What he realized too quickly for his own comfort was that, even though he had a different body shape, he was still the same Jason. Case in point, he felt awkward trying to get past people, felt compelled to clean up when someone else made a mess, and even hid when he glanced at Missy, Debby, and Daeva from a distance. He wanted to leave, but he didn’t want his wish to be all for naught, so he decided to just grab some finger food and punch and people-watch by a wall.

Prince Ryder was not having the best time at the Ball. Apart from being amused by seeing someone flirt with Lawrence rather than himself for once, everything else just dragged him down; he felt pressured into a proper persona, no one he saw by far attracted him, and everyone who tried to impress him were obviously after his status rather than who he was as a person. The more he danced, the more he dreaded his instinct to move with the music. He snuck off when he figured no one else was paying attention and headed for the punch bowl. Much to his surprise, he saw someone else by the wall. As he got closer to the gentleman, Ryder thought he looked familiar, but didn’t want to jump to any conclusions in case he was wrong. He noticed the man eating with an unpleasant expression and came up with an ice breaker.

“Is the food not great?” Ryder asked.

Jason finished the food in his mouth and sighed.

“This is the first time in years I’ve felt free to eat when stressed. I’ve heard you can tell the difference between something baked with love and something baked with obligation, though,” Jason explained as soon as he heard a familiar voice that made him relax.

“Well, which one did our chefs make these with?” Ryder asked with a chuckle.

Jason nearly choked before turning to confirm that he was talking to the man he met in the woods and that he was actually Prince Ryder. He hesitated to get the words out out of fear of offending the beautiful man he was talking to. As they made eye contact, the smile on Ryder’s face grew softer.

“Hey, don’t worry. I’m sure feedback from someone like you would be much appreciated,” Ryder assured.

“Well, it feels like they were made with obligation, in all honesty. But I don’t think a lot of people would really notice,” Jason answered.

“So, listen, if stress is the reason behind your current eating, why not just go to a quieter spot?” Ryder suggested.

“I don’t exactly know this palace like the back of my hand.”

“There’s actually a garden that’s much quieter than here that I can show you if you want.”

“Are you sure? Wouldn’t you want to spend time with someone of a higher class?”

“Nah, everyone else just wants my status. Besides, you seem like a comfortable person to be around.”

“We haven’t even introduced ourselves properly.”

“Oh, right. Pardon me. I’m Ryder.”

“I’m Jason. Nice to meet you.”

The two made their way to great menagerie of flowers that Ryder liked to call his safe haven. Ryder would ramble about the different carnations that grew in the garden and noticed excitement within Jason as they walked by the deadly nightshades. Jason would ramble a bit about how some of the carnations reminded him of certain berries for different baked goods unknowingly confirming Ryder’s suspicions of who Jason was. As the two continued to walk, talk, and overall enjoy each other’s company, they found it easy to forget how different they were class wise and Jason was starting to believe that there wasn’t a reason why he was scared of getting close to someone else. Once they were on a bench near some roses and king proteas, the two held hands and felt safe with each other. The two started to close the gap between each other’s faces before Jason backed away.

“What’s wrong?” Ryder asked with concern.

“Oh, nothing too significant,” Jason lied.

“No, really. You can tell me what’s wrong,” Ryder assured.

“Well, it’s just that...I think I’m falling in love with you, but it doesn’t feel like you’re actually falling in love with me,” Jason stated and hugged himself like he was about to have a panic attack.

Ryder grabbed Jason’s hands and instructed him through deep breaths. It took some time, but Jason eventually managed through the breathing and looked at Ryder with tears in his eyes.

“Can you explain why you don’t think I’m falling in love with you?” Ryder asked.

“Well...do you believe in magic?” Jason hesitated.

Ryder nodded wordlessly and invited his companion to continue.

“Let’s just say things are going to change very soon. So, I really need to get going,” Jason stated.

“Wait, Jason! I want us to meet again!” Ryder called out.

“If you saw who I really am, you’d turn away!” Jason claimed before leaving immediately.

Ryder felt confused by the sudden departure. If he was right about who Jason was, why would he think Ryder wouldn’t love him? Once the clock struck 12, Ryder proceeded to pick some deadly nightshades and bring them inside. He snuck up to his room and put the flowers in a vase to bring to his love. When he placed the flowers in a vase full of water, he heard the door open.

“What are you up to?” he heard Lawrence ask.

“If you must know, I have met the love of my life and I plan to give his favorite flowers to him,” Ryder explained.

“Nice to see you finally found someone. I guess that makes two of us,” Lawrence responded.

Out of surprise, Ryder turned around to see Lawrence give a cheeky smile.

“Wait, you love?” Ryder joked.

“That guy that approached me swept me off my feet with his bad jokes and adorable personality. Who would’ve thought that would be possible?” Lawrence explained.

Ryder chuckled and made sure the flowers were perfect for his love. He wished the sun would rise sooner so that he would present the carnations to prove his love.