KAI:
Three days have passed since the contract was signed.
Three days of living in Liam's quarters while pretending to be Elena. Three days of waking up nauseous from suppressants. Three days of Kai and Liam avoiding each other in carefully choreographed movements through shared spaces that feel like minefields.
Tonight is the formal banquet introducing Princess Elena to Sun Crest's nobility.
Kai stands in front of the mirror while servants pin his hair. The green gown they have chosen makes his eyes look bright, almost alive. It is beautiful and it makes him want to scream because beauty means vulnerability and he is already vulnerable enough.
"You look stunning," a voice says from behind him.
Kai turns. It is Sophie, Liam's cousin, the girl who appeared in the courtyard two days ago and offered to help. She has been invaluable. She taught Kai how to walk properly. She explained the politics of Sun Crest's nobility. She even helped Kai understand which people to avoid and which people might become allies.
But Kai does not trust her yet.
"Thank you," Kai says in Elena's careful voice.
"You are terrified," Sophie says, sitting on the edge of the vanity. She is wearing a deep blue gown that matches her sharp eyes. "I can see it. Your hands are shaking."
"I am fine," Kai lies.
"You are about to walk into a ballroom full of people who have been waiting three years to meet the northern princess," Sophie says. "They will be watching your every move. They will be looking for signs that you are not who you claim to be. And Victoria will be there, waiting to tear you apart."
"Who is Victoria?" Kai asks, even though something tells him he already knows the answer.
"Lady Victoria Stone," Sophie says. "Beautiful. Ambitious. Powerful Alpha noblewoman. She was engaged to Liam before the treaty required him to marry you instead. She has spent the last three years convinced that you stole her rightful place. She will not be kind tonight."
Kai's hands clench into fists. An Alpha attacking him in front of witnesses while he is dressed as a princess and cannot fight back. It is perfect. It is a nightmare.
"How do I handle it?" Kai asks.
"Carefully," Sophie says. "If you respond with too much strength, you expose yourself. If you respond with too much weakness, you look pathetic. You need to be exactly Elena. Diplomatic. Kind. Strong enough to survive the attack but not so strong that people question who you really are."
Sophie stands and smooths down her own gown.
"Also," Sophie adds, "Liam will be watching. Do not expect him to help."
Before Kai can ask what she means, Sophie leaves.
The ballroom is enormous.
Crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling like captured stars. Musicians play soft music from a raised platform. Hundreds of nobility stand in clusters, talking and watching and waiting for the foreign princess to make a mistake.
Kai enters on Liam's arm.
They walk through the crowd like they have done this a hundred times. Like they are comfortable with each other. Like they are not two people who have been avoiding direct eye contact for three days because the alternative is dangerous.
Liam looks beautiful tonight. His formal white jacket with gold buttons makes him seem powerful. Untouchable. An Alpha prince claiming his bride.
If anyone bothered to look closely, they would see the exhaustion in his eyes. But no one does. They just see what he wants them to see.
The first hour passes without incident.
Kai talks to nobles about weather and trade and the merits of northern poetry. He smiles when he is supposed to smile. He laughs when laughter is expected. He is Elena and he is doing well and then he sees her.
Lady Victoria approaches like a predator who has finally cornered prey.
She is beautiful in a way that feels dangerous. Her dress is cut so low it barely qualifies as clothing. Her eyes are cold. Her smile promises blood.
"How lovely to finally meet you, Princess Elena," Victoria says, her voice dripping sweetness like honey over broken glass. "I do hope you are settling in. It must be so different from your barbaric northern home."
The crowd around them has gone quiet.
Kai can feel every eye turning in their direction. This is the moment. This is when Victoria makes her move.
"Tell me," Victoria continues, stepping closer so only Kai can hear her, "can you even read our language, or shall I have the menus translated for you?"
Kai's Alpha instincts explode.
The rage is instant and overwhelming. How dare this woman speak to him like this. How dare she assume he is weak. How dare she challenge him in front of an audience. Kai's hands want to ball into fists. His voice wants to drop into a growl. Every cell in his body screams to put this woman on the floor.
But Kai cannot do any of that.
Because Kai is supposed to be a princess.
Kai takes a breath and opens his mouth to deliver some diplomatic response about cultural differences and mutual respect. Elena would say something kind. Elena would defuse the situation with grace.
Then Liam appears.
He moves with predatory elegance, stepping between Kai and Victoria before Kai can even finish processing what is happening.
"Lady Victoria," Liam says, his voice dropping to a temperature that makes the whole room shiver. "Are you questioning my wife's intelligence?"
Victoria's smile tightens.
"I am simply making conversation, Your Highness," she says sweetly.
"My wife speaks four languages fluently," Liam continues, like Victoria has not spoken. "She also plays piano, paints, and yesterday corrected an error in our trade minister's calculations that saved this kingdom fifty thousand gold."
He pauses, letting the words sink in.
"Perhaps you could share your accomplishments so we can compare," Liam adds, his tone suggesting that comparison would be humiliating for Victoria.
The ballroom has gone completely silent.
Victoria's face turns a shade of red that is almost purple.
"I was simply being welcoming," she says through gritted teeth.
"Of course you were," Liam says. He does not believe her. Everyone in the room knows he does not believe her.
He turns away from Victoria and offers Kai his hand. "Shall we dance, Princess? I believe they are playing one of your favorite songs."
Kai takes his hand and they move to the dance floor.
As they begin to waltz, Kai whispers, "You did not have to do that. The contract says we keep distance."
"Protecting what is mine is not emotional," Liam says. "It is practical."
His hand is warm on Kai's waist. His grip is possessive. For anyone watching, it looks like a husband claiming his bride.
"I am not yours," Kai whispers.
"For now, according to the contract, you are exactly mine," Liam says. His dark eyes meet Kai's and something hot and dangerous passes between them. "And I do not share what is mine."
The words should feel controlling. Instead they feel like protection.
The music continues and they dance and Kai forgets for a moment that this is all a lie. That they are both pretending. That beneath the performance there is a conspiracy waiting to crush them both.
When the dance ends, Liam releases him.
"You did well tonight," Liam says quietly. "Elena would have been proud."
Before Kai can respond, a servant appears at Liam's side, his face pale.
"Your Highness," the servant whispers urgently. "There is a situation. Lord Marcus Grey requests your immediate presence in the private council chambers. He says he has discovered something about the princess that requires your attention."
Kai's heart stops.
Liam's entire body goes rigid.
"What kind of something?" Liam asks, but his voice tells Kai he already knows the answer is catastrophic.
"He did not specify, Your Highness. But he said it is a matter of palace security and royal deception."
Liam and Kai exchange a look across the crowded ballroom.
The conspiracy has stopped hiding.
And Kai realizes with crystal clarity that the next few hours will determine whether they survive or whether everything collapses into war and death and destruction.
"Tell Lord Marcus we are coming," Liam says.
They move toward the door together, still playing husband and wife, still maintaining the lie while everything beneath the surface is coming apart.
Behind them, Kai can feel Victoria watching with triumph in her eyes.
The trap has been sprung.
And Kai is about to find out exactly how deep the conspiracy goes.