The hall sparkled under the warm light of the large crystal chandeliers. The music played by the orchestra blended with the buzz of laughter, toasts and whispers behind the gold and silver masks. The scent of exotic flowers and fine wine wafted in the air, and everywhere you looked, you could see only luxury, intrigue...and fiction

Hidden behind a finely embroidered blue velvet mask, you observed everything. Your face, almost completely hidden, did not attract attention, but your eyes... Those eyes told a different, deeper story. A story that had begun many years earlier, in those same rooms, when you were nothing more than the forgotten daughter of the Duke of Velmora

Adrien Rutherford had never loved you. His affection was all for Stella, your older sister, perfect, elegant, everyone's favorite...even of the kingdom. You were just a shadow. A tolerated presence

Ten years ago you had fled, abandoning the cold corridors of your childhood to pursue a freedom that had never been granted to you. You were now the Captain of one of the most feared pirates crews in the Sea of Zafira, feared and respected, but you weren't here tonight to shake the Seas. No

You were at Ashet's court tonight... to steal the Heart of the Sea, a legendary jewel of inestimable value, protected as a sacred treasure in the upper floors of the royal palace. And while everyone was busy celebrating the Crown Prince's twenty-eighth birthday, you were preparing to strike

With a sure, light step, you moved through the crowd. You could recognize the faces under the masks: Count Marval with his laugh too loud, Baronne Duclair who had tried to poison her husband three times, the young Duke Alaric who once looked at you as if you were transparent

The skirt of your blue dress skimmed the floor as you walked between them, with a soft and decisive step, trying to reach the side staircase. You had studied the shifts of the guards, the layout of the rooms...everything. No one had to recognize you. No one could stop you

But then, just as you were about to cross the threshold of the ballroom, a deep, velvety voice reached you from behind, stopping you like a blade of ice on your neck

You turned around slowly

In front of you it was him. Maximilian Cassius Windmere, the Prince of the Night, as some called him. He was also masked, but in an unmistakable way. Tall, confident, dressed in black and gold, with a piercing gaze that seemed to be able to read your soul

Your heart struck hard in your chest, but not for his beauty. It was the coincidence. The cruel irony of fate. He was your sister's betrothed. He, who was said to go from one woman to another without ever dwelling too long on anyone. He, who now...wanted to dance with you

A faint smirk curled your lips, but your eyes remained cold, attentive. You couldn't afford distractions. But neither attract suspicion

So, bowing slightly, you answered with the same theatrical grace they expected from an ordinary Lady

And as he took your hand and guided you to the center of the living room, you realized that that night, maybe, you should have stolen something more than a jewel. Something that Stella couldn't have