The banquet hall still hummed with uneasy chatter after the chandelier crash. Servants swept glittering shards from the marble floor, while nobles whispered in sharp, excited tones about the near tragedy.
Elara kept her head bowed, tray balanced in trembling hands, replaying the moment in her mind. She could still hear the groan of metal, the gasp that rippled through the hall, and the shove — the Crown Prince's firm hand pushing her and the Duke out of the chandelier's path.
That shove… it wasn't meant for her. She knew it. From the way the Prince's eyes had flickered past her to the spot where Lady Serina should have been, she understood: the accident was meant for someone else.
Her instructions tonight had been clear.
"You're assigned to serve the Duke. Mistakes won't be tolerated," Lady Miren had told her earlier, voice as smooth as glass but leaving no room for refusal.
So she'd stayed near the Duke. And somehow, that choice — or command — had shifted something in the air.
"Stop."
The voice was quiet but carried weight. She froze, looking up just enough to see a man she didn't recognize clearly at first — tall, broad-shouldered, with the same imperial bearing as Crown Prince Kael, yet colder. His eyes were a sharper shade of silver, like steel left out under moonlight.
"You're with the Duke?" His gaze swept her from head to toe, assessing without warmth.
"Yes, Your Grace," she said quickly, lowering her eyes.
"Your name."
The question caught her off guard. For a heartbeat, the old habit almost slipped from her lips — Maid D — but something in his eyes made her hesitate.
"El—" she stopped, pulse racing, and finished, "Elara."
A faint smirk ghosted across his lips. "Elara. And how long have you been in the palace?"
"Almost two years, Your Grace."
He studied her in silence for a moment, as though weighing whether to believe her.
"You serve the Duke well?"
"I try, Your Grace."
His gaze lingered another second, unreadable, before he finally said, "Perhaps."
With that single word, he turned and walked away, disappearing into the cluster of dignitaries and nobles — leaving her with the uneasy sense that she'd just stepped into someone else's private game without knowing the rules.
From across the hall, the Duke's deep voice called her back to his side. And as she moved to obey, Elara caught a glimpse of the Crown Prince watching his half-brother from the dais, his expression faintly guarded.