1

You file into the adjoining hall, where a feast of luxurious proportions awaits. The starter is chestnut soup with fresh, crusty bread, and plenty of white wine. Upon each table sits a shining ice sculpture of a swan and stag—a combination of the two colleges' coats of arms.

In the noise and confusion before you are seated, Max sidles up to you and grabs you by the elbow. "You have to help me—Delacroix won't. We're going to put a dent in Archambault's armor. I heard Auguste Renaldt was going to make a speech—let's use that."

You cast your eye over the tables. Auguste is sitting with a group of other prefects, flicking through a few sheets of paper with a focused expression. On the other hand, perhaps there's another way to get a head-start on the competition.

Max looks disappointed. "Here was I hoping you'd do something fun," he complains. "All right, I'll cheer when you talk—I suppose—but it had better work."

Eventually the groups settle down. You have your own seat assigned amongst the Gallatin students, next to Gonzalez; you wonder whether Lady Renaldt put you there to learn more from her. Gonzalez briefly throws a companionable arm around your shoulders as Auguste stands to speak.

You leap to your feet and cut Auguste off before he can begin. Everyone turns to look at you, and you launch into an ostentatious toast thanking Lord Haberlin and Lady Renaldt for the wonderful opportunity.

"And," you finish, "I'm sure Archambault Academy will be delighted to learn from Gallatin College. Truth is found in gentility, after all!"

Max leads the Gallatin tables in applause, and even the Archambault students look impressed. Auguste does not look happy at being upstaged, and Lord Haberlin raises his glass to you before inviting the crowd back to the ballroom. Dinner rolls onward, with four—or perhaps five—courses, finishing with the chocolate mousse. Lord Haberlin scoops it with the same ceremony as carving a joint of meat, and servants glide between the tables to serve. Guests and hosts alike are replete when Lord Haberlin invites the crowd to the ballroom.

Next

The musicians have struck up for the final set of dances, and with the raucous good humor of food and drink, people pour onto the dance floor. Gonzalez is in the middle of it all, dancing enthusiastically but haphazardly. From her flushed face, you think she may have had a little too much wine during dinner. You spot Prince Rosario at the drinks table, seemingly unaware of the group of Archambault hangers-on lingering close by and watching him.

At the edge of the dance floor stand Auguste, Freddie, and Hartmann in intense conversation. At one point Hartmann touches Auguste's arm; Freddie is giving Auguste a dazzled, admiring look. Max and Delacroix are nowhere to be seen, but beneath the music, you hear raised voices from the direction of the cloakroom. Someone nearby says they saw Florin Kraemer going in there; another tells them to hush.