Page 111 of The Last Syphon

She made an extravagant show of flipping her hair over her shoulder. “I was before I obtained the position.” She joked with a smile, taking another sip.

“So modest.” He joked back, making her laugh.

Inara turned to face the room, marvelling at the grandeur that was laid out before her.

“Never been to a ball before?” he asked.

“That obvious, huh?”

“Little bit.” He smirked. “That dazed expression on your face usually vanishes after the first few.”

“You’re a regular, I take it?”

He shrugged. “It’s been a while since my last attendance. Figured it was about time I made an appearance.”

“Not a fan?”

“I wouldn’t say that.”

“What would you say?”

He thought on it for a moment, choosing his words carefully. “I would say…it’s all pointless.”

That surprised her. “Pointless?”

“Yes.” He nodded. “There are far more important matters in the realm than putting on a fancy outfit and floundering around one’s wealth. That’s why I find these things so tedious, you see. It’s the same nonsense every time. People converse and act like they care about what the other person has been up to, but really, it’s just an excuse to evaluate where one stands in the hierarchy.”

Her lips puckered in thought. “Not a big fan of royal politics. Is that what it’s really like?”

“Oh, yes. You’ll come to find out for yourself soon, I’m sure, how trivial this all is in the grand scheme of things.”

A couple—a man and a woman—stepped in front of them.

“My apologies. I’m in your way,” Balthus said, moving aside.

“Oh, sorry,” Inara apologised, following suit.

The woman smiled at her. “No problem at all,” she said to her, taking her place.

Balthus and Inara shifted further down until they were at the end of the table so they were not in anyone’s way.

“So, how did a Borderlander end up in one of the most prestigious positions in the kingdom? You must be pretty powerful.”

“Yeah…Uh.” She took a quick glance around the room and lowered her voice. “Look, no one actually knows I’m really from the Borderlands. I wasn’t meant to tell anyone that.”

“No? Why’s that?”

She bit her lip, unsure what to say. Truth be told, when Inara had talked to him last, she’d completely forgotten about the conversation she’d had when she first arrived—the one where she was told to say she was a distant relative of Lady Niya. She didn’t like to lie because, if she was being honest, she found it hard to keep the lies straight, and ended up screwing it up half the time.

Case in point.

“Just…because.” She finished the contents in her glass and placed it on the edge of the table. “Can you, um, just keep it between us?”

That sly smile returned. “A secret?” he whispered, leaning closer. “Oh, I do love secrets. Okay. Consider it kept.”

Relief filled her chest. “Thank you.” She looked up and saw Prince Walder waving for her to return. “Fuck. I gotta go. Duty calls. It was nice to see you again.”

“You too.” He bowed. “Until next time.”