The hushed voices in the salon felt like a frail shield. Viana listened to her confidantes, their voices a tight net around her.
Rayne's hand rested on her shoulder. It felt more like something real, a strange warmth, a quiet, growing heat. The line between acting and true feelings blurred, and that, it unnerved her deeply.
"The night is still young in the main hall," Rayne said, his voice soft, almost a whisper, gentle like the evening air. "We should return. People will notice our absence, after all."
Viana nodded. The short break was over, its peace fleeting. The quiet, shared truth, it was gone now. Time to go back to the grand act, to the dazzling performance.
They went back to the celebration. The main hall pulsed with new energy, brighter, louder. More joyful, too. The strict rules of the beginning, they had loosened their hold.
Laughter, hearty, and free, filled the air. Nobles moved around freely, their faces flushed, warm with wine and good cheer.
