The hall was glowing tonight. Not just from the countless golden chandeliers or the polished marble floors that caught every flicker of candlelight, but from the tense, almost electric air that wound itself between every person present. Nobles in jeweled collars and silk-lined cloaks moved in small circles, talking behind painted fans and half-lifted goblets, pretending their smiles weren't as sharp as their ambitions.
At the head of the room, seated on the high dais, the Emperor kept his face as unreadable as stone. But Sebastian—standing a little behind James—could feel every shift in the Emperor's mood like a tug on invisible strings.
