The sun had barely risen when the news spread.
Damian hadn't just touched the girl. He had taken her.
The palace staff whispered behind silk curtains. Guards traded glances. Court ladies gasped behind painted fans.
And in the highest tower of the eastern wing, Princess Selene stood before her mirror, her lips curved into something that was almost a smile.
Almost.
"She gave herself to him?" she asked, voice calm, clipped.
"Yes, Your Highness," her maid confirmed, head bowed low. "They say she spent the entire night in his chambers. Alone."
The sound of glass shattering cut through the silence.
Selene had thrown her perfume bottle across the room, shattering it against the wall like it had offended her.
"Alone," she repeated bitterly. "Of course she was alone. He's never allowed me inside his chambers."
"What would you like me to do, Princess?"
Selene turned, her eyes no longer hiding the storm behind them.
"I don't want her silenced."
"I want her ruined."
Meanwhile, Ariana moved through the palace halls with shaky steps. Her body still remembered the night before — every stolen breath, every sinful touch, every whispered growl against her skin.
She should have been scared.
Instead… she felt invincible.
Until she turned the corner and saw them.
Three noble girls. Daughters of dukes. Followers of Selene.
"Look at her," one sneered. "The royal pet."
"No," said another. "More like a well-dressed concubine."
Ariana stopped.
She could have walked away.
She could have stayed silent.
But she didn't.
"Is that jealousy in your tone, or just desperation?" she said sweetly.
The girls gasped. One stepped forward, ready to slap her.
But before a hand could rise, a voice sliced through the corridor.
"Touch her, and I'll make sure your family disappears before breakfast."
Damian.
He stepped from the shadows like he'd been waiting for this moment, his stare deadly calm. The noble girls scattered, their confidence shriveling under his glare.
He turned to Ariana, expression unreadable.
"You're bold," he said.
"You made me bold," she answered.
Damian looked at her — really looked — and something shifted in his gaze.
But far above, behind a curtain in the eastern tower… Selene watched
them.
And smiled.
"Let them fall," she whispered.
"I'll be the one to break what's left."