She stole the entire ballroom

Wildrose tucked the violin under her chin, took a breath, and then—she exploded into motion. It wasn’t a stiff, courtly waltz. It was a folk-infused, rhythmic firestorm. She began to dance as she played, her shoes tapping a beat against the wood, her body swaying with a joy that was infectious. The music was bright, wild, and exhilarating—the kind of song that made your heart hop in your chest and your feet itch to move. The nobles, usually so stiff and guarded, began to sway. Even the guards shifted their weight, caught in the pull of the melody. In the middle of a particularly fast, soaring trill, Wildrose spun in a circle, her skirts flaring like the petals of a flower. As she came back around, she found Alex in the crowd and gave him a deliberate, playful wink. The music shifted, shedding its courtly skin for something raw and untamed. Wildrose moved like a leaf in a gale, her bow blurring across the strings. It was a song of the open road, of campfires and starlight—a melody that didn’t just ask the guests to dance, it demanded they feel alive. The stuffy air of Virelion seemed to crack open. Nobles who had forgotten to smile found themselves tapping their toes. Partners spun across the floor, skirts lifted as they hopped to the lively tune. The tempo was so fast and wild that only the younger dancers endured, smirks curling as competition flared between them. As the final, soaring note vibrated through the room, Wildrose pulled the bow back with a dramatic flourish. The silence that followed was heavy with shock, then shattered by a wave of applause that felt more genuine than any polite clapping heard that night. Breathless and glowing, Wildrose handed the violin back to the stunned musician and skipped down from the dais. She ignored the lingering gaze of the Prince and the murmurs of the court, cutting a direct path back to the one person she truly wanted to impress.