Sioni…? I stop my train of thought for a moment, ignoring my bewilderment and anger at my arranged marriage.

“Alfred? What’s the matter?” my mother moved forward.

“It’s nothing…I felt—a bit weird for a moment,” I assured her.

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I tried to move past the guards, my husband was blocking me as well. I squeezed through them; There was no use trying to stop me from entering that accursed ballroom. My daughter was missing because of them!

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There was a bang, and a woman-obviously a peasant, screamed at me, her face streaming with tears.
“You! It’s your fault that our Sioni went missing! You and your wiles!” she wailed at me.

I ran up to her, catching her by the shoulders;
“Sioni? What happened to her?” my mind was in a blur.
“She’s missing!” said a man beside the woman, obviously her husband.

Missing?