The uproar behind her continued, but Maelis didn't care.
She heard their voices, yes.
The outrage.
The scraping of boots and the distant ring of steel being unsheathed.
Leon's sharp breath, almost ragged from how hard he was trying to hold himself back. Dexter's low curse under his breath.
But all of it was muffled now.
Like background noise behind glass.
Because he was still looking at her.
That same disinterested, cold gaze. As if she were just another person in a crowd. As if she didn't matter. Like her name, Maelis D'Aurélion meant nothing.
And yet… her heart was pounding.
She swallowed once, quietly. Her throat felt dry.
Her lips were still curled faintly at the edges, but now her eyes lifted just a little higher, just enough for her lashes to rise, revealing the full clarity of her gaze.
She was just about to speak.
Just about to reach out...
But then, Gray's voice cut through the air like a knife.
"Get out of my way."
