Chapter 36
No POV
The hall was dimly lit, the crystal chandeliers above casting fractured reflections on the polished marble floor. The scent of rosewater lingered faintly in the air.
He was already there.
Mirage stood in the far corner, half-hidden by a curtain of shadows, his presence unnoticed, - just as he intended.
She hadn't seen him.
Viona moved through the room like frost slipping beneath a closed door, untouched by the celebration humming faintly from the gardens outside. The world had shifted since she last walked this hall, but she remained unnervingly the same.
Mirage watched her, every inch of him still as stone. He'd been there during the battle, though she'd never noticed. Always in the places she didn't look. And now, standing here, watching her return, he wasn't su
