The two servants stood before the massive, gold-carved doors of the great hall.
The boy, Jake, wore the face of Soren—the spun-gold hair, the striking golden eyes, the arrogant, handsome features. The girl, Elena, had transformed her own face into the perfect mask of Princess Elara—ink-black hair, sharp, intelligent eyes, and the untouchable posture of true royalty.
They had practiced in the dark for hours. Every tilt of the head, every half-smile, every aristocratic sigh.
Now, the doors groaned open.
A wall of noise—laughter, clinking crystal, string music—hit them. Then, as the herald struck his staff against the marble floor, the noise died. Every noble in the hall turned. Hundreds of predatory eyes locked onto them.
Jake's boots felt like they were made of lead. His face flushed tight, his stomach twisting into a cold knot. The combined gaze of the empire's most powerful families pressed down on him like physical gravity.
Elena grabbed his wrist, her perfectly manicured nails digging into his skin.
"Jake," she whispered, her voice a terrifying imitation of the Princess's cold tone, "smile like you own them, or we both lose our heads tonight."
Jake swallowed hard, terror flashing in his stolen golden eyes. "Are you sure they won't just kill us if we slip up?"
"They won't just kill us," Elena murmured, stepping forward. "They will peel us. Now lift your chin. You are the Golden Boy."
They stepped into the light.
The room bowed, a sea of silk and jewels dipping low.
"Presenting Her Royal Highness, Princess Elara of the Black Dragon Empire!" the herald roared.
Duke Somer pushed to the front of the crowd. He was a massive man, draped in purple and gold, his smile as bright and dangerous as a drawn blade.
"What an immense honor!" The Duke spread his arms, bowing low. "The Princess of the Black Dragon graces our humble hall. Your presence turns the night into day!" His sharp eyes flicked past her, scanning the empty corridor. "But... I see no imperial guard. Did you ride alone, Your Highness?"
Elena tilted her chin up, looking down her nose at him exactly as Elara would.
"Lord Somer," she said smoothly, her voice ringing clear in the silent hall. "You look as fiercely healthy as the rumors claim. I travel with two hundred elite guards, of course. But they move too slowly. I rode ahead—I simply could not bear to miss the famous hospitality of the Sun Family."
The Duke's smile stretched so wide it looked painful. A veiled threat wrapped in a compliment. He loved it. "I see! Please, you must sit at my right hand."
He turned to the fake Soren, his eyes briefly losing their warmth. "Go, my son. Entertain our guests. The Princess requires my full attention."
Jake offered a stiff, shallow bow and walked away, trying to keep his hands from shaking.
Duke Somer led Elena to the high table. From there, they looked down on the empire's elite like gods watching mortals.
Every noblewoman in the room tracked Elena with poisonous, jealous eyes. The Princess outshone them all, effortlessly drinking the Duke's wine and laughing at his jokes. The young lords stared with open hunger, desperate to approach, but the Duke's heavily armored guards formed a wall of iron around the table.
Down in the crowd, Jake stood near a pillar, gripping a glass of wine like a shield.
The nobles resumed their deadly games. They didn't just talk; they hunted.
"Did you hear about the slaver, Khmer?" a lord with a scarred face whispered to his circle. "Heart burst in the street. Right after buying a ruined pit-fighter."
"A tragedy," a woman behind a silk fan replied, her eyes gleaming with amusement. "Or simply bad business. One must have the stomach for what they buy."
Then, the music swelled. The dance began.
Silk robes swirled like colored smoke. Jewelry caught the candlelight. Jake tried to blend into the shadows, but a young woman in blood-red silk stepped into his path. Her dark hair was piled high, pierced with silver pins, and her lips were painted the color of crushed cherries. She offered a slow, calculated bow.
"I am Lady Vina, of the Jolem Family," she purred. "Will you honor me with a dance, Lord Soren? Or is the Sun Family too proud to mingle with the earth tonight?"
Jake's throat went dry. He couldn't dance. If he took her hand, she would feel his callouses. She would know he was a servant.
"I... apologize, Lady Vina," Jake stammered, his voice lacking Soren's usual velvet confidence. "I do not feel well enough to dance tonight."
Lady Vina's smile cooled into a sharp smirk. Her eyes scanned his face, searching for a crack. "How curious. Just moments ago, you looked so energetic arriving with the Princess. Has the air in your own home suddenly become too heavy, my lord?"
"I just need a moment alone," Jake muttered, turning his face away.
She snapped her fan shut, her eyes filled with sudden, dangerous suspicion. "As you wish. Do let us know when your courage returns."
She slipped back into the crowd. Jake stood frozen, his breath coming shallow. He was surrounded by smiling wolves. One wrong word, one drop of sweat, and they would smell the blood.
The music faded. The dancers parted.
Duke Somer rose from his heavy oak chair, raising a crystal goblet high. The hall fell instantly silent.
"Honored guests!" The Duke's voice boomed, echoing off the high ceilings. "Our family was forged from the blood of the heavens! My son, Soren, is the living proof. The sun has now set—" He gestured widely to the dark, towering windows. "—and so it is time for my son to illuminate our home. To show you the power that keeps the shadows at bay!"
Jake's heart stopped.
His gift. The light.
He possessed the spirit of reflection—he could steal a man's face. But he could not steal a man's power. He couldn't summon a single spark, let alone the blinding aura of the Golden Boy.
What do I do? Run? Faint? He looked at the crowd. They were waiting. The Duke's smile was tightening, his patience wearing thin.
He forced his legs to move. He walked to the center of the grand hall. Every eye locked onto him, heavy and expectant. His hands shook so violently he had to ball them into fists.
I am a dead man.
He raised his hand toward the ceiling.
Nothing. Not even a flicker.
Whispers broke out across the room like hissing snakes. The Duke's face darkened, the fake smile melting into a scowl of pure rage. Lady Vina, the girl in red, whispered something to her father, her eyes narrowed.
Jake closed his eyes, waiting for the executioners to step forward.
Then—LIGHT.
It didn't come from Jake's hand. It exploded from the very air itself.
A brilliant, violent, blinding flash of pure gold erupted through the entire hall. It shattered the shadows, bouncing off the mirrors and crystal chandeliers. Nobles screamed, throwing their hands over their faces. Glasses shattered from the sheer pressure of the spirit energy. The Duke fell back into his chair, blinded.
For three seconds, the world was nothing but burning white gold.For three seconds, the world was nothing but burning white gold.
Then, as smoothly as a blade sliding into a sheath, the light vanished.
The room blinked, eyes watering, groaning as the candlelight returned.
Standing in the exact center of the hall, wearing the exact same clothes he had on before, was the real Soren.
Jake was completely gone.
Up at the high table, standing entirely alone in the exact spot where her servant had been sitting moments before, was the real Princess Elara. She looked completely unbothered by the chaos, calmly sipping from a crystal glass. Elena was gone.
Soren lowered his hand, flashing a brilliant, apologetic smile that reached all the way to his golden eyes.
"Forgive me, everyone," Soren said, his voice dripping with relaxed confidence. "I tried not to use too much power. I hope I didn't ruin anyone's vision."
The nobles stared in absolute shock. The sheer, overwhelming power. The absolute control. He had blinded the most powerful people in the city, perfectly covering his own tracks, and then apologized as if he had merely spilled a drop of wine. None of them even suspected he had ever left the castle.
Duke Somer blinked away the spots in his vision, his chest puffing out. He burst into a booming laugh. "Ha! That is my blood! The unstoppable light of the Sun Family!"
The tension broke. The nobles laughed with him, clapping and raising their glasses, though many looked at the young lord with new, deep-seated fear. The wolves had seen the tiger, and they were terrified.
Near the side doors, completely hidden in the shifting shadows, Nora stood perfectly still. She watched Jake and Elena scramble down the servant's hallway, safe.
She let her hand drop from the hilt of her dagger, melting back into the darkness.
The Golden Boy was home.