Chapter 2 A DANGEROUS GAME

The feast stretched on, filled with music, laughter, and endless toasts to the impending union between Elarion and Vellador. But Princess Seraphina hardly tasted the delicacies placed before her. She played her role well smiling, nodding at the right moments, feigning interest in the noblemen's conversation but her mind was elsewhere.

More than once, she felt Prince Kael's gaze flicker toward her, calculating, watchful. He had noticed something.

More than once, she had to resist the urge to look toward Prince Adrian, knowing that any lingering glance could be dangerous.

When the meal was finally over, the guests rose from their seats, many moving toward the ballroom floor for the traditional dance.

Seraphina turned to Kael, forcing a polite smile. "Do you dance, Your Highness?"

Kael studied her for a moment before rising smoothly from his chair. "Only when necessary."

A courtly way of saying no, yet he extended a hand anyway.

She placed her fingers lightly in his, allowing him to lead her onto the floor. The music swelled, and couples moved in a synchronized waltz, gliding beneath the glow of the grand chandeliers.

Seraphina had danced a hundred times before, but tonight, she felt as though she was moving through fog. Her heart was not in it.

"Your hands are trembling," Kael murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.

She stiffened.

"I'm simply tired," she said smoothly.

His lips curled into something that was not quite a smile. "Of course."

They moved together in perfect form, their steps precise, their bodies a careful distance apart. To the court, they looked like a future king and queen in harmony. But beneath the surface, tension crackled between them-not attraction, but wariness.

And then, a familiar presence drew near.

Adrian.

He had joined the dance, though not with a partner. Instead, he moved through the shifting couples, his dark eyes locked onto hers.

For a brief second, the world around her faded.

She was no longer in Kael's arms. She was no longer the princess bound by duty.

She was only a girl who longed for the man she could never have.

Adrian's gaze flickered toward Kael. Calculating. Measuring.

Kael, for his part, did not miss the exchange. His grip on her waist tightened ever so slightly, a silent reminder of her place.

Seraphina inhaled sharply. This is dangerous.

The dance came to an end, and Kael released her. "You dance well, Princess," he said with the politeness of a man playing a role.

Seraphina curtsied, keeping her expression neutral. "And you as well, Your Highness."

Kael inclined his head before stepping away, leaving her alone for a brief moment.

But that moment was enough.

Before she could move, a hand took hers, firm but gentle.

She looked up Adrian.

Her breath caught. "What are you doing?" she whispered.

He led her away from the dance floor, toward a shadowed alcove near the towering windows. Outside, the palace gardens stretched beneath the moonlight, the air cool against her heated skin.

Adrian turned to face her, his expression unreadable. "Tell me the truth," he said, voice low. "Do you want this?"

Her heart pounded. "It doesn't matter what I want."

"That isn't an answer."

Her throat tightened. Of course, she didn't want this. She didn't want a cold, calculated marriage. She didn't want a life of duty without love.

But the walls were closing in.

"Adrian," she whispered, stepping back. "This is dangerous."

His jaw clenched. "Everything about us is dangerous."

They were standing too close now. She could see the tension in his posture, the way his fingers curled at his sides as if resisting the urge to reach for her.

And she wanted him to.

For just a moment, she allowed herself to forget-forget the court, forget Kael, forget duty.

Adrian reached up, his fingers brushing a stray lock of hair from her cheek. The touch was featherlight, but it sent a shiver down her spine.

She leaned into it, just slightly. Just enough for him to see what she could never say.

His eyes darkened. "Seraphina..."

But before another word could be spoken, a voice cut through the silence.

"Am I interrupting something?"

Seraphina's blood ran cold.

Kael.

He stood at the entrance to the alcove, arms crossed, his expression unreadable-but his storm-gray eyes were sharp. Too sharp.

Seraphina forced herself to step back from Adrian, turning to face her betrothed. "Of course not, Your Highness," she said smoothly, though her pulse thundered in her ears.

Kael's gaze flickered between them, lingering on Adrian for a second too long. Then, slowly, he smirked.

"Good," he said. "Because I'd hate to think my future wife had any... distractions."

Seraphina swallowed hard.

Adrian didn't move, didn't speak. But she could feel the tension radiating from him.

Kael stepped forward, extending a hand. "Come, Princess. The night isn't over."

Seraphina hesitated, but she had no choice.

With one last glance at Adrian-one that held all the words she could never say-she took Kael's hand.

And as he led her back into the ballroom, she realized her dangerous game had only just begun.

Seraphina kept her chin high and her steps steady as Prince Kael led her back into the ballroom. But beneath her poised exterior, her heart pounded like a war drum.

Had he seen too much? Had she and Adrian been careless?

The warmth of Adrian's touch still lingered on her skin, an unbearable contrast to the cold grip of reality.

Kael said nothing at first, merely guiding her through the shifting crowd. The nobles greeted them with smiles and approving nods, oblivious to the storm brewing beneath the surface.

Finally, as they reached a quieter corner of the ballroom, Kael spoke.

"You and my future brother-in-law seem quite... close."

Seraphina's pulse faltered. The words were casual, but there was something beneath them something sharp.

"He is my friend," she said smoothly. "We were raised together. There is nothing unusual about our bond."

Kael tilted his head slightly, studying her. "And yet, when I entered that alcove, it felt... different."

A challenge. A test.

Seraphina forced a soft laugh, feigning amusement. "I imagine it only seemed that way because you don't yet know the way of our court. Elarion has always valued family closeness."

Kael hummed in response, his expression unreadable. "Hmm. Of course."

Seraphina turned toward the dance floor, desperate to shift the conversation away from dangerous territory. "Would you care for another dance, Your Highness?"

Kael chuckled, but there was no humor in it. "Not tonight. I prefer to watch."

Something about the way he said it sent a chill down her spine.

He was watching.

He had been watching her all night.

And worse he was watching Adrian too.

Seraphina clenched her hands at her sides as Kael excused himself, moving toward a group of Elarion nobles to engage in polite conversation. He was playing the part of the diplomatic prince, but she knew better now.

This was a man who did not miss a thing.

And if she wasn't careful, she would be caught in a game far more dangerous than she had anticipated.

Seraphina barely lasted another hour before the weight of the night became unbearable. When the nobles were too deep in their cups to notice, when the music swelled just enough to mask her movements, she slipped out of the ballroom unnoticed.

She needed air. She needed distance.

The palace gardens were quiet, bathed in silver moonlight. The scent of jasmine and roses filled the air, but even the beauty of the night couldn't ease the turmoil inside her.

She walked deeper into the gardens, away from the lantern-lit paths, until she reached a secluded clearing. Here, beneath the open sky, she could finally breathe.

But she was not alone.

"I thought you might come here."

Seraphina turned sharply Adrian stood at the edge of the clearing, his dark eyes unreadable.

Her breath hitched. "You shouldn't be here."

He took a slow step forward. "Neither should you."

The words hung between them, heavy with meaning.

Seraphina exhaled, shaking her head. "This is madness, Adrian."

"Then let me be mad," he said, his voice low, intense. "Because watching you stand beside him tonight-pretending, smiling, letting him touch you-it was unbearable."

Her chest tightened. "You think it wasn't for me?"

Adrian ran a hand through his hair, frustration evident. "Then don't do this, Seraphina. We can find another way."

"There is no other way," she whispered. "This marriage isn't just about me-it's about Elarion, about keeping our people safe."

Adrian's jaw clenched. "And what about your happiness? Or does that no longer matter?"

She opened her mouth to reply, but no words came.

Because the truth was no, it didn't matter.

Her happiness had never mattered.

Adrian reached for her then, his fingers brushing against hers in the dim light. It was a whisper of a touch, but it ignited something deep inside her.

"Tell me," he said softly. "Tell me you feel nothing for me, and I'll walk away."

Her heart pounded. The words were there, on the tip of her tongue. The lie that would keep them both safe.

But she couldn't say it.

Because it would never be true.

She swallowed hard. "Adrian..."

But before she could speak the truth before she could seal both their fates a sharp voice shattered the night.

"Quite the secret meeting."

Seraphina and Adrian spun toward the voice, blood running cold.

Kael stood at the edge of the clearing.

Watching.

Waiting.

And this time, there was no mistaking the dangerous gleam in his eyes.