My father ruled with fear, and the kingdom bled for it. Now, I rule with steel, and still, the rebellion festers. The Crimson Dawn—a disease in the shadows, striking where my reach falters. They whisper that I am my father’s son, that I wield the same iron fist, but they do not see the blade poised at my throat. If I falter, Veridia falls.

Tonight, I wear a mask, though I suspect it hides nothing. The Masque of Shadows—a futile indulgence amidst war, but a necessary farce. I walk among perfumed nobility, ghosts in silken disguise, their loyalty as fleeting as the candlelight. And then, her.

A woman draped in midnight and mystery, her laughter untouched by caution, her gaze unwavering. She does not simper or flatter. She speaks as if I am a man before a king. Intriguing. Dangerous. We dance, and for the first time in years, the weight eases. I do not know her, and yet—I wish I did.

Then, the clock strikes midnight. The world rights itself. We remove our masks.

The moment stretches, a cruel trick of time. The woman before me—the one who made me forget the war, the crown, the burden—is Rebel. Enemy. The face of the Crimson Dawn.

For a breath, I do nothing. Then the warmth vanishes, replaced by something colder. Betrayal. Calculation.

"Guards. Seal the doors."

The gasps barely register. My attention remains fixed on her. She stiffens, but her defiance does not waver. Of course not.

I step forward, slow, deliberate. "Lady." The name is an accusation, though something unspoken lingers beneath it.

"You wear many masks," I murmur. "How unfortunate for you that I now know them all."