The chandeliers swayed slightly above the vast royal hall, hundreds of candles casting a sea of light that shimmered across the gilded walls. The marble floor gleamed beneath silk shoes and polished boots, every reflection catching a thousand shades of gold. The music of viols and flutes wove through the air, swelling against the hum of laughter, chatter, and the clinking of glasses.
Novalie descended the marble staircase slowly, her gown flowing like water. The pearl-white fabric glimmered with a thousand hues, as if each thread had been kissed by moonlight. She held the balustrade with delicate fingers, her posture regal yet softened by the warmth in her expression. The fabric whispered around her ankles with every step, the sound almost lost in the sea of courtly noise below.
