Dawn came painfully slowly.
It felt as though the night had refused to end.
For some reason, it had been so long since the ball began that Lydia had almost forgotten what morning felt like. But when the first light finally appeared over Svetlana, the city was already awake.
Only this time, people were not waking up to talk about the beautiful masquerade ball.
They were talking about the Baron.
News had spread throughout the night.
The Baron had been caught after kidnapping the Grand Duchess and attempting to have her killed.
By the time the sun rose, almost everyone in Svetlana knew.
It was practically treason.
And the punishment was death.
The Baron and his accomplices had been executed at the town square before dawn.
People gathered around the square to watch.
Some came because they were shocked.
Others came because they wanted to hear the details.
