**~ Hazel's POV ~**
Evening came, and I was beyond ready..but not in the way everyone expected. My twins were already fast asleep, soft breaths rising and falling like music to my soul. I stared at them, heart torn. There was no way I was attending that ball if it meant leaving them alone in this room. Or worse, dragging them to some loud, glittering mess where I'd be distracted every other second. Absolutely not.
Then came a soft knock at the door.
I practically flew toward it and swung it open. The maids stood there, all grins and glowing excitement.
"My Lady," one of them beamed, "is it time? We're here to get you dressed for the ball."
My gaze flicked immediately back to my babies. "And where exactly am I supposed to keep them while I'm playing dress-up and dancing around with strangers?"
She stepped forward. "You can lock the door and leave them here, or you can entrust them to us, or you could even take them along with you—"
