98 Two sinking boats

The excitement in the ballroom started to build, with guests murmuring to each other in a hushed manner. On the other hand, Eve felt fear trickling down her spine. All this time, she had been careful never to have a single drop of her blood fall when in a crowd. 

She had felt something poke, but she had only believed it to be her feet behaving funny like it usually did. How long was she supposed to stay here before she could dash out of here, Eve asked herself. 

"Are you ready?" Marceline asked the guests while the servants held the four sides of the wooden box. At her command, the four wooden slabs around the box were removed and silence filled the room.

Eve was ready to slip out of the room, but seeing the gift that Lady Marceline brought, her throat went dry and her face turned pale.