A

om is small and familiar, the one spot in this castle that has ever truly been mine. I go around the area on au

p in my thoughts

ss of Varethorne. The spou

reflection. A few hours before, the idea had seemed absurd-impossible. But now? The

a scraping by on the outskirts of nobility. A servant. A nobody. But if I say yes-if I tak

busy, my heart too restless. I see myself wrapped in silks and diamonds, flowing around the castle wi

pulls at

oming as noblemen and ladies swirl around the floor. Without thinking, I step into the fantasy, humming softly under my breath.

feel little. I d

ment catches my sig

i

r, her body seeming ghos

iff, fists clasped-tells me she isn't si

sneak outdoors, the chilly night air cutting at my skin as I make my

t," I answ

me right away, simply stares at the lake, the moon's ref

ckers there, but so does something else-some

ng a faint grin. "Get some sleep,

a thrill through me. Th

ut of sleep, my throat is dry and my d

o get my own meal, to stand aside when nobility passes, to be j

I open my eyes, ev

e. The same ladies who tend to Lira now move with great precision around me, ru

isper useless chatter as they do when I'm mer

t me like

plying delicate color into my lips and cheeks. The gown they slide me into is unlike anything I have ever worn-hea

tion in the mirror, I sc

glances b

knock at

arrives. Lira's father. My new fa

the first time in my li

ere's something almost... appreciative in his eye

like a weight. A sacrific

in thei

"It is an hono

en extends a hand.

ng myself, then let him

st, too chilly, too alien. Every ste

h Varethorne and Draevenmoor fill the chamber, their murmurs a quiet hum beneath the flicker

all. This is what I agree

ep i

looking for him. The man I am intende

I see

not Alp

y to be an ordinary attendant. He looks so much like Zareth-but while the Alpha is broad and inti

tches. He is

s steady, u

il. But nevertheless, I feel it-feel his eyes meetin

tightens, the world redu

i

e

ever com