As the night wore on, Fredrick grew more and more bored. His father had found him shortly after he abandoned his post by the stairs and made him finish with the introductions. It was probably the worst hour of his life, in his opinion. Finally, however, it was over. He thought he was going to have a chance to escape, but he was wrong; his father had forced him to dance with some of the woman and try and make conversation.
It seemed that he was wrong yet again; that was the worst hour of his life. His feet were sore from women stepping on them, and his head ached from listening to them prattle on about how they had their dresses made special for this night. In truth, he hated these events. He hated being paraded about like he was some prized steed at an auction or something.
Having broken free of the latest woman, he cruised by the food tables, popping random things in his mouth as he went along. He had to give his father credit on that area; the man did know his food and wine. As he was passing by the fruits, he spied a woman he didn't remember seeing earlier. She wore a dress of blue that, while simple in design, complimented her better than any dress on any woman he had seen. He felt drawn to her; like he simply had to get to know her better.
Tossing a smaller strawberry into his mouth, he approached her, putting on one of his more genuine smiles. "Enjoying the festivities, my lady?"