Evening came faster than ever before.
Perhaps it was because Lydia had spent the entire day waiting for tonight.
Or maybe the night itself seemed eager to arrive.
The Grand Duchess was hosting a masquerade ball in Svetlana. It was not simply a night for dancing and dressing up. The ball was being held to raise money for a school.
With the support of the ladies of Svetlana, Lydia had decided to build a school where children from poor families could study for free. Many children in the city had no chance to receive a proper education because their families could not afford it.
It was something worth celebrating.
The ladies had worked hard for it, and tonight was their chance to celebrate what they had started.
But for Lydia, the ball meant something else.
Tonight, she was going to tell Ivan the truth.
She had spent the entire day thinking about it.
Every time fear came into her mind, she pushed it away.
She had made her decision.
She would not change it.
