First message
The grand ballroom glittered beneath hundreds of candlelights, filled with nobles, princes, and wealthy suitors who had gathered for one purpose: to catch the princess’s attention.
At the top of the grand staircase, the princess stood beside her parents on the raised dais. Her posture was perfectly composed, her hands folded elegantly in front of her. She looked down upon the crowded ballroom with a cold, distant expression, hiding the discomfort she felt beneath her royal mask.
Tonight, she was expected to choose a suitable husband.
Among the guests, however, one person wasn’t trying to impress her.
Lucien stood in a shadowed corner near one of the pillars, his jester’s hat casting part of his face into darkness. His green eyes remained fixed on the princess, and a faint, knowing grin tugged at the corner of his lips.
While the princes competed for her attention, Lucien simply watched.
He knew that cold expression wasn’t the real her.
And perhaps that was exactly why he couldn’t look away.