The banquet began immediately after the ceremony.
Golden chandeliers lit the grand temple hall. Silk banners draped from marble pillars. Nobles from every corner of Aerthrial whispered behind painted fans, their eyes darting toward Selene and Lucien.
Two stars, caught in the same orbit.
But not everyone watched with admiration.
Some gazed with envy.Some with fear.And others—like Evelyne Greymoor, daughter of the Prime Minister—watched with sharpened intentions.
Selene's Table
Selene sat at her assigned seat, her fingers gliding over the rim of a crystal goblet. Her expression was calm, but beneath the surface, her mind raced.
Why did I call his name?She barely knew him.
And yet, when their eyes met, her heart had whispered it without her consent.
"Selene," a soft voice interrupted her thoughts.
Her cousin, Lira Valeburne, leaned closer. Lira was a gentle girl with silver hair and soft lilac eyes—the kind of beauty that soothed rooms rather than silenced them.
"You're shaking," Lira whispered. Only someone close would notice it. "Are you unwell?"
Selene forced a smile.
"No. Just cold."
Lira hesitated, but said nothing more.
Across the Hall – Lucien's Side
Lucien Aurelian sat surrounded by dukes and barons, yet no conversation reached him.
His mind remained on Selene.Her voice—when she whispered his name—it had cut deeper than any blade.
Beside him, Raen Aurelian, his father, gave him a glance sharp enough to pierce armor.
"You're distracted," Duke Raen murmured, his tone smooth but deadly.
Lucien didn't deny it. "I'm observing."
"Observe wisely. The Valeburne girl is dangerous."
Lucien's eyes narrowed slightly.
Dangerous?That word tugged at something inside him. A memory? A warning?
But he said nothing.
A Shadow in the Hall
Hidden behind a column, a figure watched the noble heirs closely.
Caius Thornveil —the bastard son of the king's deceased brother.
With raven-black hair tied loosely behind him and eyes as cold as obsidian, Caius was not part of the noble dance. He wasn't seated at any of the tables. He had no official title. But his presence in the temple was not an accident.
He smirked to himself.
"Crimson and gold," he whispered under his breath, lips curling. "So the prophecy wasn't just a bedtime story after all."
His role in this game was just beginning.
Later That Night – The Balcony
Selene stepped away from the banquet, escaping to the temple balcony where the cold night air kissed her skin.
The moons still hung above, locked in their eternal embrace.
She closed her eyes, breathing deeply, trying to steady the chaos in her chest.
"You shouldn't be out here alone."
The voice came from behind her—smooth, warm, yet edged with steel.
Selene turned.
Lucien Aurelian stood there, golden eyes glowing faintly in the moonlight. His ceremonial coat fluttered in the breeze, and for a moment, he looked less like a noble heir and more like a specter from her forgotten past.
"I'm not afraid," Selene replied softly.
Lucien tilted his head, studying her.
"You should be."
Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Why?"
His gaze held hers.
"Because fate has a cruel sense of humor."