The royal masquerade had always been a place for secrets to glimmer beneath silks and shadows. But tonight, it was more than tradition. Tonight, it was Liana's battlefield.
She stood still for a moment in the corridor leading to the grand ballroom, letting the soft chime of violins guide her breath. The mask across her face—a delicate black-and-silver phoenix—felt like both armor and warning. It was ironic. Everyone behind those glittering masks believed they were hiding something. But none were hiding a truth as dangerous as hers.
Amara of Eldenmoor was long dead.
Tonight, she was Lady Liana Vey — the empire's mystery and temptation.
The ballroom unfolded in a dazzling wave of gold chandeliers, gleaming floors, and silk-draped royalty. Nobles spun in measured circles, gossip flitting between glasses of wine and forced laughter. But all of it halted the moment she stepped into the room.
Liana felt the shift instantly.
The heads that turned. The whispers that followed. The hunger in their eyes.
But only one gaze mattered.
Leonidas.
He stood near the throne dais, garbed in imperial black threaded with gold, a half-mask covering his left eye. He looked like a dark god, carved by war and shadow. But it was the way he looked at her — as if he already knew her — that made her skin prickle.
She lowered her gaze, pretending not to notice. She couldn't afford to let her control slip, not even for a heartbeat.
Not when the enemy was beginning to suspect.
"Lady Liana," a voice murmured beside her. She turned to see General Vane, his mask a snarling lion, his smile sharper than any blade. "A pleasure to see you again."
She inclined her head. "General. You dance with war, but I see you've mastered politics too."
He chuckled. "Flattery from a lady as feared as she is admired. You might unnerve the entire court."
"Let them be unnerved. It keeps them from getting comfortable."
Vane leaned closer, his voice dropping. "But do you know what makes them fear you most, my lady?"
She tilted her head.
"You don't belong here. You move like someone who already knows how the story ends."
Her stomach twisted. She smiled anyway. "Perhaps I do."
---
The night deepened. Music soared. Couples spun in intricate dances. Liana waited until the eyes had shifted away before she approached the terrace overlooking the midnight gardens. The cool air helped her breathe again. Too many masks. Too many lies.
"Running from someone?" came a voice behind her.
She turned.
Leonidas.
His expression was unreadable, but there was a quiet heat in his gaze. A pull between them — dangerous, undeniable.
"I needed air," she replied coolly.
"Or perhaps, you needed space from all those pretending to care about your smile."
She met his eyes. "And you're different?"
"No," he said honestly. "But I'm better at hiding it."
Liana laughed softly. "A refreshing answer, Your Highness."
"I wish you'd stop calling me that."
She raised an eyebrow. "And what should I call you, then?"
His lips curved. "Leonidas."
A dangerous silence settled between them. The kind that held everything unsaid — and all the things that couldn't be allowed.
He stepped closer. "Why do I feel like I've known you before?"
Her heart stopped.
She forced a smile. "Do all women feel that way around you?"
"No. Just you."
---
Back inside the ballroom, the emperor announced the start of the ceremonial royal dance — traditionally shared between the Crown Prince and a lady of his choosing.
Leonidas walked forward.
Every noblewoman straightened, eyes gleaming with hope.
But he didn't look at any of them.
He turned… and offered his hand to her.
"Dance with me, Liana."
She froze.
A thousand eyes watched.
This wasn't just a dance. It was a political declaration.
Refusing could stir suspicion.
Accepting could ignite danger.
But in that moment, she wasn't just a princess in hiding.
She was a viper in the nest.
And she smiled as she took his hand.
---
The music swelled.
Their bodies moved in perfect synchronicity, circling in patterns old as the empire. But beneath the smooth turns and graceful steps, tension crackled like a storm.
"You're playing a game," Leonidas murmured, his hand firm at her waist.
"Aren't we all?" she replied, keeping her voice sweet.
He studied her. "You're not like them."
"I never claimed to be."
His gaze darkened. "You intrigue me."
"Is that dangerous?"
"For you, maybe."
She looked up at him, meeting his challenge. "I like danger."
He smirked, but his eyes were shadowed. "Careful, Liana. I've broken women who said that before."
She leaned in, lips near his ear. "Then I suppose you haven't met one who knew how to break back."
Their final spin ended with a breathless stillness, applause thundering around them.
But Liana barely heard it.
Because in that final moment… she'd caught a glimpse of something in Leonidas' eyes.
Recognition.
Fear.
And… guilt?
---
Later that night, alone in her chambers, Liana stared at the hidden scroll beneath her bed — the last letter her mother had written before the siege.
She whispered its lines like a prayer:
> "Trust no crown. Not even the one that loved you once. Vengeance is the only justice left to us."
She closed her eyes.
Leonidas was dangerous — not just because he was the Crown Prince.
But because he might have been part of the massacre that destroyed her kingdom.
And yet… he was also the first man to make her heart betray her.
She touched her lips where his breath had lingered.
She couldn't afford to feel.
She couldn't afford to falter.
Not when the dance had only just begun — and the crown she wanted was stained in the blood of everyone she had lost.