At least someone here was exactly what they appeared to be.
“Sebastian!” My father's voice carried across the hall, warm and relieved. He stood near the head of the table with several advisors, looking every inch the king despite the exhaustion I could see in his eyes.
I crossed to him, accepting his embrace. “Papa.”
“You're late.”
“I lost track of time in the workshop.”
He smiled, but there was worry underneath. “You spend too much time out there.”
“It's where I think best.”
“That's what concerns me.”
Before I could respond, another voice cut in. Smooth. Cultured.
“Your Highness, you look well.”
I turned to find Duke Marcel standing beside us, glass of wine in hand, silver hair perfectly combed. He smiled like we were old friends.Like he hadn't been pushing my father toward increasingly restrictive security measures for months.
“Duke Marcel.” I kept my voice polite. Neutral. “Thank you for joining us.”
“I wouldn't miss it. These things are so important for maintaining connections.” His eyes flicked to Viktor, still and watchful near the wall. “I see you've acquired new protection. The Sentinel Network, yes? Adrian Calloway's operation.”
“My father's idea.”
“A wise one.” Marcel raised his glass toward my father. “Your son has your gift for diplomacy, sire. Though I worry he's inherited your stubbornness as well.”
My father laughed, but I saw the way his hand tightened on his own glass. The way his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.
“Stubbornness keeps us alive,” I said lightly.
“Or gets us killed.” Marcel's smile never wavered. “Depending on the situation.”
The staff began ushering everyone to their seats. I ended up between my father and some foreign diplomat whose name I immediately forgot. Marcel sat across from us, perfectly positioned to monitor the entire table.
Viktor remained standing. Watching.
I tried to focus on the dinner. The speeches. The toasts. The carefully choreographed performance of royal hospitality. But I kept finding my eyes drifting to Viktor.
The way he stood, absolutely still, like he'd forgotten how to fidget. The way his gaze swept the room in constant motion even as his body remained motionless. The intensity of his focus.
It was magnetic in a way I didn't want to examine.
Someone proposed a toast. Glasses raised. Crystal chimed against crystal. I lifted my own glass, smiling at whatever bullshit was being celebrated.
That's when I heard it.
A faint creak. Subtle. Wrong.
My eyes flicked up automatically, and I saw Viktor's do the same. We both looked at the chandelier directly above the table's center.
It trembled. Just slightly. Just enough.
Everything happened in slow motion after that.
The support bolt snapped with a sound like a gunshot. The chandelier lurched, cable singing as it gave way. Crystal and gold and iron came crashing down in a shower of glass and screaming metal.
