I followed the direction of Father's gaze.

  Across the Solstice Pavilion, beneath the glass dome and its carefully arranged winter decorations, stood a small cluster of guests I had not yet greeted.

  Even before Father spoke, I knew who they were.

  Lord Orapher stood at the center of the group. Broad shoulders, hands resting loosely behind his back, as though the entire Pavilion had been arranged for his convenience. I had seen him many times in my life, but we had never exchanged more than a few words. I had hoped to keep it that way.

  Lady Orapher stood beside him in a gold gown that caught the candlelight each time she moved. The color suited her dark hair. She held a glass of champagne but did not drink from it.

  Behind them stood their sons.

  The eldest I recognized immediately, speaking to one of the senators near the archway. The second lingered nearby with his fiancée, their heads bent together in quiet conversation.

  And the youngest... Eryx.

  He stood slightly apart from the others, watching the room with the calm interest of someone who had nothing at stake in it. He had his mother's dark mahogany hair and pale complexion.

  Father began walking before I could study the youngest Orapher further.

  I followed flanked by uncle Faeris and his wife, Lady Calista. Where was my cousin?

  Guests shifted aside as we crossed the Pavilion floor. Conversations dipped. A few curious glances followed us.

  Two old houses approaching each other in public rarely passed unnoticed.

  "Lord Orapher," Father greeted as we reached them, his tone warm, measured. "It is good to see you this evening."

  "Velmire." Lord Orapher inclined his head smiling with old camaraderie with my father. His gaze moved to me without hurry. "Lady Alya."

  I inclined my head.

  "Lord Orapher."

  Lady Orapher watched the exchange with a quiet smile. Her eyes moved over my dress, my posture, my hair and jewelry.

  "Lady Velmire," she said at last. Her voice was surprisingly soft.

  "Lady Orapher."

  Father rested a hand between my shoulder blades.

  A small push forward.

  Lord Orapher gestured lightly toward the young man beside him.

  "You remember my youngest son. Eryx."

  Barely.

  I turned toward him.

  "Lord Eryx."

  He inclined his head.

  "Lady Alya."

  His voice was calm. Polite. Another characteristic he inherited from his mother?

  Up close, he was taller than the slender young man I remembered and his eyes were so dark his pupils were lost in the irises.

  He studied me with open curiosity.

  How refreshing.

  Lady Orapher observed the two of us in silence.

  "My son mentioned that the two of you have crossed paths before," commented Lord Orapher.

  "Yes," I replied. "Briefly."

  That had been two years ago, at their Yule Ball.

  And under circumstances none of the people present would find entertaining.

  Eryx's mouth curved slightly.

  "I remember the encounter more clearly than Lady Alya seems inclined to admit."

  Oh.

  So he intended to be difficult. Wonderful.

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  "We had conversations with many outstanding guests," I said pleasantly. "They tend to blur together."

  Let him think I'm vapid, rather than memorable.

  Father chuckled lightly beside me, approving the deflection.

  "Indeed," he said. "Lumeria rarely lacks for remarkable company."

  Lord Orapher seemed amused by that.

  "The season has been lively," he replied. "The city has grown... energetic these past years."

  "A sign of prosperity," Father said.

  "Or ambition."

  Their smiles held.

  The kind that never quite reached the eyes.

  I stood where Father had placed me, aware that the conversation had shifted away from me entirely. It suited me well enough. The less attention I attracted from House Orapher, the better.

  Lord Orapher turned slightly toward Father.

  "I trust your household has enjoyed the winter festivities."

  "We have," Father replied. "Though the season demands a certain stamina."

  Lord Orapher glanced toward me.

  "Your daughter appears well prepared for it."

  I forced my smile to stay in place.

  "Alya has always adapted well to Lumeria," Father said. His hand remained at my back. "The city rewards discipline."

  I inclined my head modestly.

  "Father exaggerates."

  He did not contradict me.

  Eryx remained beside us, silent. I could feel his attention lingering without the need to look.

  Lady Orapher set her glass aside on a passing tray.

  "Lady Velmire," she said.

  I turned toward her.

  "Yes?"

  "There is a clear view of the lanterns over the Aethel from the eastern balcony tonight. They have placed them earlier than usual."

  Her gaze flicked to my aunt.

  "Lady Calista, you must have seen them already."

  My aunt smiled politely.

  "Not yet this evening."

  "Then you should," Lady Orapher said. "They are quite beautiful this year."

  Her eyes returned to me.

  "Lady Alya, you should come."

  My spine stiffened.

  My father's hand left my back.

  "Go on," he said.

  I curtsied slightly.

  "As you wish."

  Aunt Calista joined us at once, linking her arm through mine as we began walking toward the eastern side of the pavilion. I'd never imagined her company would one day be so appreciated.

  Behind us, the men resumed their conversation.

  Lady Orapher walked ahead with quiet certainty, guiding us through the crowd toward a narrow archway that opened onto the balcony.

  The air grew cooler as we stepped outside.

  Lanterns floated above the dark lines of the Aethel River, painting golden shapes in the water that attempted to mimic the sky above.

  For a moment, even I had to admit the view was worth the effort.

  Beautiful.

  And suspiciously convenient.

  Lady Orapher rested her hands lightly on the stone railing and watched the lanterns in silence.

  I waited.

  Women of her rank did not invite younger ladies to admire the scenery without a purpose.

  Out of all the members of House Orapher, she appeared more reserved about the union with House Velmire.

  It worked in my favor. But I couldn't help but wonder... why? If anyone would had reason to object, I would have imagined it to be Lord Orapher himself, as it would be his household's bloodline that would be besmirched by me.

  "Lady Alya," Lady Orapher said at last, her gaze still resting on the lanterns drifting over the river. "It has been over two decades since the late Lady Velmire passed, has it not?"

  I inclined my head. The portrait of a woman with impenetrable eyes set in perpetual dissatisfaction flashed behind my eyelids. I had never asked about Dolomitia Velmire, nobody had ever mentioned her to me. I only knew she had passed a year before I was born.

  "Yes."

  "You have been the only lady of Velmire Manor for some time then." Her eyes moved to me. "That must have placed many responsibilities upon you at a very young age."

  Calista answered before I could.

  "Alya has managed them remarkably well." Enora had, for the most part, handled them until I was old enough to.

  Lady Orapher listened politely, but her attention remained on me.

  "And did you find it difficult?" she asked.

  Such a simple question.

  I could almost admire the precision.

  "Like any duty, it has been both an honor as well as an obligation." I paused. How would Father answer?

  "Responsibility rarely waits for convenience. I was raised to meet it," I finished with Velmire-worthy nonchalance.

  Lady Orapher watched me for a moment longer.

  "A sensible view," she said at last.

  Nothing in her tone suggested praise.

  Her gaze returned to the river.

  Around us, the wind gently shook some bushes and their shadows caressed the marble in beautiful patterns.

  "Duty is the foundation of every old house," she continued after a moment. "Without it, lineage would mean very little."

  Calista nodded. "That is certainly true."

  Lady Orapher rested her gloved hands lightly on the railing.

  "When I first arrived in Lumeria," she said, "I was not much younger than you."

  Her voice remained calm.

  "The city can feel... overwhelming to young ladies at first."

  I watched the lanterns as well.

  "I imagine it can."

  Her eyes shifted to me again.

  "But it rewards those who understand its rules. You seem well suited to it," she said.

  I inclined my head slightly.

  "I try to meet the expectations placed upon me."

  Lady Orapher regarded me quietly.

  "One learns, in time, that expectations and reality rarely align as neatly as our families hope."

  Calista laughed softly beside me.

  "That is certainly true in society."

  Lady Orapher smiled faintly.

  But her eyes did not leave mine.

  "And when that happens," she added, "a wise woman remembers that survival often depends less on strength... and more on knowing when to remain still."

  My eyebrows lowered a fraction, slipping my control. I... wasn't expecting that.

  The lanterns drifted beneath the bridge.

  For a moment, neither of us spoke. I was too stunned to do so.

  Remain still.

  What would she consider still? Unmovable, firm against the storm? Or to quietly endure?

  Lady Orapher turned back toward the pavilion.

  "The air grows cold," she said lightly. "We should return before the men begin wondering what mischief we have found out here."

  The men, we found out when we returned, had retired with President Aurelis for a cigar and private conversation.

  The evening continued among veiled questions and silent stares. Some ladies joined our group, eager to take a bite out of the free social networking with older houses this event provided.

  Eryx joined us with a blond man I had crossed paths with at the academy. I had not seen him in years.

  "Lady Velmire, I believe you went to the Arcane Academy with my friend Cygnus," Orapher commented enthusiastically a he signaled a waiter for a new glass. The flashing disapproval on Lady Orapher's eyes as his son reached for the new glass was not lost on me. Cygnus also accepted another glass with undisclosed glee.

  Oh, so that one time Eryx had drunkenly approached me two years ago was not an isolated case of overindulgence?

  "Indeed. Cygnus Asgarot, if my memory serves me right. It's been quite some time."

  "Lady Velmire, I'm pleased to see you remain as radiant as ever! Yes, my research has kept me occupied at the Caltherian Range over the past few years."

  "I trust the north has not proven too cold and desolated as people here in Lumeria claim."

  The blond laughed. "Oh no, it's not as cold as Bravia. But the winters are less forgiving than here in the capital. The real problem are the people there—"

  "My friend, let's not bore these lovely ladies with our talk. Lady Velmire, would you honor me with a dance?"

  Did I really have the luxury of an option?

  "Lady Velmire?"

  I blinked back to reality.

  The youngest Orapher was watching me amused as we glided across the marble floors among the other dancers. "What thoughts were you so engrossing that you didn't hear me call you the first time?" His smile was playful, almost boyish... but his eyes and tone suggested otherwise.

  I smiled apologetically, making sure my eyes warmed enough to seem genuine. "My apologies, it seems I was too absorbed in the music."

  He lightly scoffed before guiding me on a twirl. When I returned, I was positioned half a step closer to him than I was comfortable. I adjusted, creating proper distance.

  When it occurred a second time I no longer labeled it an accident. The warning scowl I sent Eryx only seemed to amuse him.

  By the time the dance came to a stop, I was in a foul mood and seconds from blasting the smile out of his face right in front of his entire family, consequences be damned.

  "Lady Velmire!" I glared at my legs, too short even with heels, for their inability to get me to my family faster. Eryx easily fell into step with me. "I apologize. I did not mean to offend you."

  I stopped to observe him. He was either too young or too stupid to conceal his real feelings from reaching his eyes. A rare and dangerous situation for a member of such a prestigious House.

  "I..." he looked down, sideways. "I seem to have had a glass too many. And found myself lost in your eyes—"

  I scoffed with wide eyes. Really!?

  My reaction was unexpected to us both, as we stared at each other in bewilderment before laughing.

  Some guests cast quick alarmed glances our way. I did not blame them.

  A display of open, genuine amusement was a rare and inappropriate occurrence for a formal gala.

  "Oh really? My eyes?" I asked when our laughter died.

  "Was that too much?" He asked. This time his eyes crinkled at the sides and his eyebrows lowered into a real smile.

  "It was terrible," I confessed. "Does it ever work?"

  He sniffed with fake indignation. "You'd be surprised."

  My eyebrows rose into exaggerated disapproval as we made our way to our families.

  The sight of the pleased expression on both my father and Lord Orapher's face landed heavy in my chest, robbing me of the few moments of lightheartedness I had.

  Thanks for being in this journey with me and Alya.

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  Your support truly means a lot to me.

  Do you trust Eryx?