As I opened the door, the soft noise that I had been hearing for the last two hours suddenly rose up to a deafening roar. Never in my life had I seen my family’s ballroom so full of people! Many tables were crowded with noblemen heavily discussing politics and noblewoman gossiping about the latest trends in fashion, all the while flaunting as much of their wealth as they possibly could. The younger nobles seemed far more interested in jesting with each other and showing off on the dancefloor. As I was making my way through the guests, I had to stop every few seconds for a polite greeting and some small talk with those that recognized me. After what felt like ages having passed by, I finally heard a familiar voice cry out: ‘Zephy! Zephy! Over here!’. In the distance, I saw my mother frantically waving her right hand. Next to her, my father was enjoying a conversation with another man whose back was turned towards me. As I came closer, I noticed more and more things about him. His hair was short and black, he was kind of broad, he looked about my age, and his posture was that of a respectable, yet amiable man. Once I was but a man’s length away, my father pointed at me and the stranger turned around.
As he made a slight bow before me, he said ‘Ah, you are my lady Hyhill? My name is Humberto Wildeberg, I have traveled all the way from Herreheim to partake in the festivities of Heydale. It truly is a pleasure to meet you’. Through sheer effort of will, I kept my face straight and made a small curtsy back as I stammered ‘A-Ah yes, the pleasure is m-mine.” On the lower half of his face, the man wore the most horrid moustache I had ever seen. Not only was the thing completely oiled with an exceptionally strong mixture of smells, it went all the way down to his throat, seemingly turning and twisting at random. How can someone possibly look at such a harrowing abomination without having to gag, let alone wear it! I turned back towards my parents, but both of them had disappeared, as if they had evaporated into thin air. ‘Would you care for a dance, my lady?’ Before I was physically capable of answering his question, he had already grabbed my hand and walked us to the dancefloor. As I could no longer politely refuse, I started dancing with him. From his movements it was clear that he was a very skilled dancer, but every time I looked at his face it induced a feeling of nausea. With a stroke of luck, the second song was one in which you mixed with the other dancers. The moment I could, I let go of his hand to grasp for another. Unfortunately, Lady Luck did not smile on me for long, for the moment the next switch occurred, Humberto was immediately back at my side. I knew that if I were stuck with him for much longer, I would most likely faint. I tried telling him that I needed some rest, loosened my grip on him, kept looking away, but if the merry man noticed any of my actions, he did not show it. As dramatically as I possibly could, I put my hand on my forehead and let myself fall. Faking exhaustion, I let the servants bring me back to my room, away from the horrendous moustache. Finally, although I had to leave the party, I had managed to escape from him.