|| Third-party POV ||
The grand hall was alive with the hum of conversation and the soft strains of music, but all eyes were drawn to the couple dancing in the center of the room. Alaric and Lilac moved as if the music had been composed solely for them, their steps perfectly in sync, their bodies close but not too close, their eyes locked in a way that spoke of a connection deeper than anyone in the room could fathom. The way he looked at her— like she was the only person in the world— and the way her cheeks flushed under his gaze, told a story that no words could capture. It was intimate, electric, and undeniable.
The whispers began almost immediately, rippling through the crowd like a wave.
“Look at them.”
“First, he walked her into the hall, and now this dance.”
“They look so... in
