Katherine's eyes landed on the beautiful man seated in a wheelchair beside the King.
He looked paler than she remembered.
For a moment, neither she nor Ker spoke.
"Ciara?"
Ker slowly regained her composure.
"Yes?"
"Why do we smell royal blood from our library man?"
Katherine paused.
That might have been the stupidest question Ker had asked all week.
"...Maybe because he's the First Prince?"
Ker froze.
"Oh."
Katherine resisted the urge to sigh.
The answer seemed fairly self-explanatory.
The familiar bloodline scent that had bothered them for weeks, was a resemblance to the King's scent.
Even the faint similarity to Darian's.
All of it suddenly made sense.
Because Library Man had been Prince Liam all along.
"...Oh."
Ker blinked.
Then blinked again.
Then pointed accusingly toward the front of the ballroom.
"Why did we not realize?"
"Maybe because we met the king for a few minutes, and with our ability dulled of course we couldn't connect it back to the king. And you were more concerned about Darian's irritating scent to have noticed his royal bloodline scent."
"Oh, yeah... Wait."
Another thought struck her.
"The man with the sweet calming scent."
Katherine already knew where this was going.
"Our fiancé."
"Yes."
"The man from the public library."
"Yes."
"The man from Duke Stirling's library."
"Yes."
"The First Prince."
"Yes, Ker."
The wolf stared at Liam.
Then at Katherine.
Then back at Liam.
"... Did you know?"
Katherine almost rolled her eyes, "Ker, if I knew the man you've been obsessing over was our fiancé, don't you think you would've known too?"
"... Good point"
For the first time since entering the ballroom, Katherine almost laughed.
Then—
Liam looked up.
Their eyes met across the crowded ballroom.
The noise around her seemed to fade for a moment.
Neither of them moved.
Neither of them made any gesture suggesting they recognized each other.
Katherine suddenly found herself staring into familiar grey eyes.
Katherine didn't know what she expected.
Perhaps awkwardness.
Instead, Liam simply looked at her.
Calm.
Composed.
Entirely unreadable.
Something flickered across his expression.
Gone too quickly for Katherine to identify.
Not surprise.
Not embarrassment.
Not even amusement.
Just...
Something.
Katherine frowned faintly.
She couldn't read him.
For some reason, that irritated her a little.
Then Liam's gaze shifted.
Not to her face.
To the Tear of the Moon resting against her throat.
His eyes lingered there briefly before returning to hers.
The corner of his mouth moved.
Barely.
The expression vanished before Katherine could decide whether it had ever existed at all.
"Ciara."
"Hm?"
Ker sounded cautious.
"What would happen if we just walked up to him?"
Before Katherine could respond, the King stepped forward.
The ballroom immediately fell silent.
His gaze swept across the gathered nobles.
"We welcome you all this evening."
A chorus of polite applause followed.
The King smiled faintly.
"It has been some time since the royal family last hosted a gathering of this scale."
Several nobles nodded.
That much was true.
"Many of you have undoubtedly heard the rumours circulating throughout the capital."
A ripple of laughter spread through the crowd.
The King looked entirely amused.
"As expected, not a single one was correct."
The laughter immediately died.
Rose's smile stiffened.
For the first time that evening, uncertainty flickered across her face.
The King continued.
"Recent events have brought several changes to the royal family."
His gaze briefly moved toward Darian.
"The dissolution of one engagement among them."
The ballroom grew quieter.
Everyone knew exactly which engagement he meant.
"Fortunately..."
The King's smile widened.
"Not all changes are unfortunate."
A strange feeling settled over the room.
"Tonight, the royal family is pleased to announce a new engagement."
Shock immediately spread through the crowd.
A new engagement?
Then it really was an engagement banquet.
Rose's heart began racing.
Beside her, Darian frowned.
For reasons he couldn't explain, a sense of foreboding settled in his chest.
Then the King extended a hand toward the First Prince.
"My son."
"Prince Liam Everhart Embercrown."
The entire ballroom froze.
The King's voice echoed clearly through the ballroom.
"Has entered into an engagement with Lady Katherine Mooncrest."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
It felt as though the entire ballroom had forgotten how to breathe.
Somewhere in the distance, a glass slipped from someone's hand.
The sound seemed deafening.
Because no one could quite believe what they had just heard.
"Lady Katherine and the first prince?" One noble lady whispered.
"What about Lady Rose then?" whispered another.
Everyone's gaze turned to Rose.
She felt her face turn red.
She had been acting like this banquet was held to announce hers and the Crown Prince's engagement.
All the while it was her sister's banquet.
Everyone suddenly realised that Katherine's escort wasn't Nicholas, but his master.
A noble Lady gasped, "So the necklace, was from the first prince?"
"Now that you mention it, look at her dress..."
Everyone's attention now moved to the dress.
"Oh my, what a beautiful gown."
"Look at that needlework!"
"I love how elegant it looks."
"Next to her, Lady Rose looks like a peacock."
"Hush now, she's right next to you."
Everyone spoke in "hush" voices, but somehow everyone could hear what the next person said.
At this point, Rose was trying her best to hold back the emotions she felt.
Embarrassment.
Jealousy.
Fury.
Humiliation.
Why was it Katherine again?
She won. She got the Crown Prince.
But somehow, Katherine got engaged to the first prince, and had a whole banquet thrown for her.
Seriously, what did they all see in her?
The more she thought about it, the more Rose's mood deteriorated.
She hadn't even noticed that she was clutching her fists until she felt a soft hand around them.
It was her mother.
Lady Victoria had noticed her daughter was almost at her breaking point, so she rushed to offer whatever comfort she could.
Gently but discreetly wrapping her hand around her daughter's clenched fists, Lady Victoria leaned closer.
"Calm yourself, child," Lady Victoria whispered softly.
"Do not give her the satisfaction."
Rose took in a deep breath before letting it out and forcing a smile on her lips.
She moved toward Katherine, clasping her sister's hands in her own.
A perfect display of sisterly affection.
"Oh, Sister," she said warmly. "What wonderful news. Congratulations."
The smile on her face appeared perfectly sincere.
"I admit, I was quite surprised."
A soft laugh escaped her lips.
"I never imagined His Majesty would choose to announce an engagement so suddenly."
Several nearby nobles immediately leaned in.
Rose continued gently.
"Still, I am truly relieved."
Katherine raised an eyebrow.
"Relieved?"
"Of course."
Rose squeezed her hands affectionately.
"The First Prince has always needed someone gentle and patient by his side."
The surrounding nobles exchanged subtle glances.
Rose's smile never wavered.
"His health has always been so fragile. It must be difficult."
A pause.
"But I suppose there are some things more important than titles and succession."
The ballroom suddenly became very quiet.
Rose tilted her head slightly.
"What's important is that you've found someone who will cherish you. I was quite worried after the Crown prince broke off his engagement to you."
The words sounded kind.
Supportive, even.
Yet somehow every noble present understood exactly what she meant.
The First Prince would never inherit the throne.
The First Prince held little influence at court.
The First Prince was sickly.
And everyone in the ballroom remembered the same thing.
The Crown Prince had ended his engagement to her only weeks ago.
And while Katherine may have entered the royal family...
Rose still believed she had secured the better match.
"I truly wish you both a long and happy future together."
Ker rolled her eyes, "Oh please, everyone can tell what she really means. Like, does she seriously believe we want her man? She can keep that pap for all we care."
Katherine almost laughed.
"You're calling the Crown Prince a pap now?"
Turning her attention back to Rose, she smiled. Fortunately, unlike her menacing smile as Ciara, Katherine's smile was angelic. "Thank you, sister, truly."
Gently pulling her hands from Rose's, she walked past her to where Prince Liam and the King were.
For a moment, Rose's smile faltered.
Katherine had accepted every word without complaint.
Without anger.
Without jealousy.
Without even a hint of resentment.
Somehow, that felt worse.
As though none of it mattered.
As though Rose's carefully crafted words had simply slid off her without leaving a mark.
Rose forced herself to maintain her smile.
Then something else finally registered.
Darian had not spoken a single word.
Not once.
Throughout the entire exchange, he had remained standing beside her in silence.
At first, Rose told herself it was nothing.
The Crown Prince didn't need to say anything.
Yet...
This felt different.
Usually, he would've said something.
Offered a polite congratulation.
Acknowledged Katherine's engagement.
Anything.
Instead, his gaze remained fixed somewhere ahead.
Thoughtful.
Distracted.
Unusually quiet.
A knot formed in Rose's stomach.
Why?
Her fingers tightened slightly around her fan.
Was he upset?
The thought appeared suddenly.
Uninvited.
Refusing to leave.
Rose immediately hated it.
No.
That was impossible.
Darian had broken off his engagement with Katherine himself.
He had chosen Rose.
Everyone knew that.
Yet the thought lingered.
Stubborn.
Poisonous.
Her eyes drifted toward Katherine's retreating figure.
Toward the Tear of the Moon glimmering around her neck.
Toward the First Prince waiting at the front of the ballroom.
Then back to Darian.
For the briefest moment, Rose wondered—
Was he regretting something?
The possibility sent a cold feeling through her chest.
And she hated herself for even thinking it.