I stood at the grand door beside Vaylen Blaze, the man who still had no idea that his family's secret…their fake daughter had already been exposed. His arm was steady under my hand, our pose a flawless display of paternal affection for the crowd. Anyone watching would see a proud father escorting his beloved daughter. But beneath that calm, polished smile, I could feel the tightness in his grip, the faint tremor that betrayed his unease.
The grand hall shimmered with light and whispers. Every pair of eyes turned toward us as the music began, yet something about their gazes felt… wrong. They looked human, elegant and composed, but I could sense it, their presence was far too sharp, their smiles too still. They weren't human. None of them were.
I kept my gaze ahead, refusing to meet their eyes. The air was too thick, my lungs too tight. This marriage was supposed to be fake, a convenient alliance… wasn't it? So why did my heart feel like it was trying to escape my chest?
