Chapter 2 Beneath the mask

The waltz ended, but Alessia remained in Nikolai's arms a moment longer than necessary. Just enough to leave a question in his eyes. Just enough to hint at mystery. She stepped back gracefully and offered a small curtsey, her lips curling in that same delicate smile.

"You're quite the dancer," he said, watching her as if she were a puzzle he couldn't solve. "And quite the enigma."

"I find masks often make people more honest," she replied, lifting her flute again. "Strange, isn't it?"

He tilted his head, amused. "And what truth are you hiding, Contessa?"

"Only the truth I choose to show," she said. "Isn't that what royalty does best?"

The flash in his eyes was brief, but Alessia caught it-the tightening of his jaw, the quick shift in his stance. She had touched a nerve. Good. She needed him off balance.

Nikolai didn't reply. Instead, he gestured toward a quieter corridor leading away from the ballroom. "There's a garden through there. If you'd like to breathe a little."

Alessia hesitated, just enough to seem coy, then nodded. "Lead the way."

They walked side by side down the marbled hall, past guards standing like statues and towering portraits of past kings and queens. The palace was a fortress painted in opulence. But Alessia saw through the gold leaf and stained glass. She saw the cage beneath the crown.

The doors opened to reveal the Moonlight Garden-an enclosed courtyard glowing under hundreds of hanging lanterns. White roses bloomed in manicured hedges, and a fountain gurgled softly in the center.

"It's beautiful," Alessia murmured, though her mind was cataloging exits and blind spots.

"I come here when I want to escape the politics," Nikolai said, stepping ahead and removing his jacket, tossing it over a stone bench.

"Is it really possible for a prince to escape anything?" she asked, joining him.

"Not really. But I can pretend."

He sat, looking up at her. "What about you, Contessa? What are you running from?"

She met his gaze without blinking. "Not everything that moves is running. Sometimes, we're hunting."

He laughed-low and unexpected. "Now you're really intriguing me."

That was dangerous. She needed him curious, not obsessed. Not yet.

"I'd like to know more about you," he added.

"And I'm sure you'll try," she replied smoothly, sitting beside him, legs crossed at the ankle.

For a long moment, silence stretched between them, comfortable and curious. Then he reached out, slowly, and plucked a white rose from the bush behind her, offering it.

"A flower for your secrets," he said.

She accepted it, careful not to let their fingers touch. "You'll need a whole bouquet for that."

He smiled again, but before he could respond, a sharp voice echoed across the garden.

"Your Highness!"

A guard in ceremonial armor approached briskly. "The Chancellor needs a word. Urgently."

Nikolai rose with a sigh. "Duty never waits."

Alessia stood as well. "Will I see you again tonight?"

He gave her a look that held more than words. "Count on it."

As he disappeared through the archway, Alessia's fingers tightened around the rose. Beneath its softness, thorns pricked her skin. How poetic.

The mask was working.

He was beginning to fall.

And soon, she'd have everything she needed to ruin him.

But as she turned to leave the garden, a rustle in the shadows made her pause. She stiffened, listening.

"Enjoying the fairytale, Moretti?"

Her heart jerked.

A voice from the past.

She turned swiftly, scanning the hedges. Nothing. Only silence.

But the voice had been real. Whispered, cruel, unmistakable.

Someone knew.

She wasn't as invisible as she thought.

Not anymore.