The applause rained down, hollow and sharp as falling glass.
Selene stood in the center of the ballroom, Cassian's hand still resting lightly against her waist, the memory of his laugh curling like smoke in the space between them.
She hated how the sound clung to her skin.
She hated how easily it unsettled her carefully constructed walls.
Cassian released her with a fluid, almost negligent motion, stepping back just far enough to make the distance between them feel like a chasm.
"Smile," he murmured under his breath, so low only she could hear. "They're all watching."
Selene obeyed.
Her lips curved into a delicate, faultless smile, the smile of a dutiful bride, a loyal queen, a woman honored beyond her worth.
Inside, she imagined slashing that smile from her own face.
She turned gracefully to face the crowd with Cassian at her side, presenting the perfect illusion of unity, devotion, and triumph.
How easy it was to lie with a smile.
How effortless it was to betray the truth when your heart was already broken.
The nobles flocked toward them, like moths drawn to a flame they were too stupid to fear.
One by one, they offered blessings, congratulations, promises of allegiance, or thinly veiled threats wrapped in velvet words.
Selene curtsied, accepted kisses on her gloved hand, nodded to hollow praises, all while feeling Cassian's presence beside her like the press of a loaded blade against her spine.
He spoke little.
But when he did, his words were precise, measured, and devastating.
A lord congratulated him on "taming" the wild daughter of Arlont.
Cassian smiled and said, "Taming is unnecessary. Only respect matters."
Selene's breath caught.
Another noblewoman, a beauty with wine-dark hair and a serpent's smile, offered a toast to "new alliances, born from old grudges."
Cassian's gaze sharpened to a knife.
He toasted back, "To the future, not the graves of the past."
Selene couldn't decide whether she admired his control or hated how skillfully he wielded it.
Maybe both.
Maybe that was the most dangerous part.
The formalities dragged for an hour, maybe two. Time lost meaning in the haze of silk, gold, false laughter, and barely concealed loathing.
At last, the master of ceremonies called for the "First Royal Blessing."
Selene's stomach twisted.
The First Blessing was a tradition in Veredon, a public, symbolic act that cemented the royal marriage in the eyes of the court and the gods.
It was simple.
A kiss.
One kiss before the gathered witnesses.
A seal of union.
A promise of loyalty.
A lie.
Selene's heart pounded against her ribs like a prisoner against iron bars as Cassian turned to her, his expression unreadable.
The entire room held its breath.
Selene lifted her chin.
Cassian's hand rose to her cheek, fingertips brushing the edge of her jaw, feather-light and terrifying.
The world narrowed to a single point of gravity, his touch.
His gaze.
Her heartbeat.
And then,
Cassian leaned down, slow and deliberate, giving her every chance to see it coming.
Selene closed her eyes a fraction too late.
The kiss landed on her lips like a sword laid across an execution block.
Soft.
Cold.
Heavy with everything that was broken between them.
It lasted no more than a heartbeat.
Maybe two.
But it branded her all the same.
When he pulled back, his thumb brushed her cheek, a gesture so intimate it felt like a violation.
He whispered against her skin, voice like smoke and ice.
"You play your part well, my queen."
Selene opened her eyes.
And smiled again.
Because she had to.
Because she couldn't afford not to.
Because the mask was all she had left.
The court erupted in applause once more, the sound deafening, drowning out the scream building inside her chest.
They walked together to the high table, crowned in the adoration of fools.
Cassian pulled out her chair with courtly precision, seating her before claiming his throne beside her.
Plates of delicacies were brought forth.
Cups of wine were poured.
Minstrels struck up a low, haunting tune on lutes and viols.
And Selene sat there, tasting nothing, feeling nothing, except the ghost of his kiss still burning on her mouth like the mark of a brand.
She had kissed the man who destroyed her family.
She had smiled as she did it.
She had sworn herself to his side with the whole world watching.
And no one, not even herself, could say where the lie ended and the truth began anymore.
As the feast carried on around them, Selene allowed herself a single, treacherous glance at Cassian from beneath her lashes.
He sat rigid and watchful, sipping his wine, laughing at nothing, wrapped in a silence too heavy to be called peace.
A man wearing his own mask.
A man every bit as trapped as she was.
Selene looked away quickly, forcing down the unwanted flicker of sympathy clawing at her chest.
There was no room for softness here.
No room for mercy.
No room for mistakes.
Later, when the feast ended and they stood before the court once more for the final blessing of the night, Cassian offered his arm without a word.
Selene hesitated.
Only for a breath.
Only long enough for her heart to betray her again.
Then she slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow and let him lead her into the darkness beyond the golden hall.
Beyond the whispers and the applause.
Beyond the point of no return.
The doors closed behind them with a deep, echoing boom.
And Selene realized too late, perhaps that the kiss they had shared in front of the world wasn't the first betrayal.
It was just the beginning.
Chapter 5 will be released soon. Don't forget to add to library.
Stay tuned!