For a grand musical premiere, this place sure is quiet.

  Though I suppose this muted scene has Lev and me to thank.

  Mere moments ago, this place was filled with chatter, laughter, and the usual drama of high society pretending not to care who was watching but keeping watchful eyes for both ally and foe. That was put to a halt of course when Lev helped me out of the carriage, escorting me.

  Who could blame them for being shocked?

  Seeing him—the once-ardent suitor of the now-crown princess—with me, their beloved Yvonne’s bratty and try-hard younger sister, was a spectacle no one here was expecting.

  The noiselessness only lasted only a few seconds before like an erupting volcano, the crowd surged.

  Reporters, journalists, and artists rushed towards us. If the stanchions weren’t there, we probably would’ve been swallowed whole like flowers swarmed by *hexars!

  The scratching of pens and murmurs circled us. Artists sketched with frantic strokes, trying to capture us. Journalisted listed down precise details to give the artists later—necklines, cuff style, gemstone placement—while reporters scribbled tomorrow’s headlines like their lives were depending on it.

  It would’ve been overwhelming for some but, not for us.

  I’m used to the spotlight. Albeit for unsavory reasons courtesy of everyone’s darling crown princess, but it helped that this kind of attention no longer bothered me and at this point was like second nature.

  Lev on the other hand was looking rather bored. Despite that, he was making young women swoon without even trying. A talent in and of itself.

  He reached for my hand and slipped it around his arm, “Try to smile for tomorrow’s headlines.”

  “How about you try not to look bored on our first date?” I shot back, “What? If you want something from me, you have to give me something in return. We’re not exactly close enough for me to be doing you favors.”

  “I did hear you were feisty,” He commented.

  “Did you, now? And might I ask from whom?”

  “Egor,” He answered.

  “Ah, I see.”

  Egor, huh? The guy who claims to know me from childhood, seeing me as his little sister yet somehow doesn’t really know me at all. Not exactly a good source of information about me, Lev.

  We started walking, heading to the center of the red carpet where we paused for the artists. I could hear the people whispering.

  “Why is she with him?”

  “Why are they matching outfits?”

  The press is going on a field day with us. But of course the redundant question was there as usual.

  “Is she trying to be like Her Radiance?”

  I snickered at one of the reporters who made the comment.

  According to you people, I always am trying to be like her.

  The two of us approached the masters of ceremonies and I had to bite back a smirk aat how much they were struggling to keep it together.

  Altair Tapas recovered first, the rookie actor and my current celebrity crush. His green eyes widened, flickering before snapping into professionalism—though the shock still lingered faintly, like a misplaced teacup in a room full of kettles. Not bad for a rookie.

  “And what do we have here!” Altair beamed. “Greetings to the second cub of Niege, Vice-Captain of the *Kryx Lyrix, the young master of the Serebro Duchy! And greetings to the fourth cygnet of Oryx, the young miss of Sunglen County! What a surprise to see you together!”

  “That was certainly a showstopping entrance—and the show hasn’t even started yet! Isn’t that right, Cluster?” He laughed.

  Cluster, the poor man, was still very much processing what is happening.

  “A-Ah, absolutely!” He stammered, managing a smile as he blinked back into reality. “We were all taken aback by this pair! May I just say, you two look absolutely stunning!”

  Altair jumped back in, ever eager, “Indeed! What a stunning ensemble! Your outfits complement each other so well!”

  Regaining his usual flair, Cluster leaned in, brow arched and his sonivox poised. “Which begs the question… what prompted you to match outfits?”

  He grinned mischievously, “Are we safe to assume that there’s a deeper meaning behind this stylish coordination?”

  And then, without warning, Lev slid his arm around my waist and pulled me a little closer.

  “You said we weren’t close, how about now?” He said, loud enough only so that I could hear, “Is this close enough for you?”

  I could feel my face flush. This man! You can’t tell me he doesn’t know what he’s doing because he definitely does!”

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  I looked up at him, glaring, but for some reason, he just smirked! How is he finding this situation amusing?!

  “Like I said, feisty.”

  He turned his attention to Altair and Cluster all while gently tightening his hold on me since I was trying to escape this embarrassing situation.

  Well, not embarrassing, more like unexpected, but honestly, I don’t mind since he’s handsome, but it was so sudden—AGHK! I am rambling. This is Lev’s fault for flustering me.

  “Though it was abruptly decided,” Lev began, “tonight is our first outing as a couple.”

  His gaze turned down to me, “And someone told me to dress for the occasion.

  It’s not like he was lying, I did tell him to dress for the occasion since he just wanted to wear whatever and get this over with.

  “Oh! I see!” Cluster laughed nervously. “Wearing matching clothes to make your first outing as a couple memorable. How romantic! Wait… What?”

  Altair blinked. Chef Baker furrowed his brow. And Cluster’s eyes looked like they wanted to pop out of their sockets. The three looked at each other, then at us, eyes scanning us from head to toes like some tricky puzzle.

  “COUPLE?!” They echoed in unison.

  I nearly doubled over. Their faces were priceless! Huck’s jaw was practically on the floor! It was so funny, I was tempted to tease them even further. Oh… maybe I was more like Yvon than I realized.

  Casually, I reached up and “adjusted” my hair, subtly unclasping the heavy, extravagant necklace on my neck. A cluster of shimmering *priscas tumbled into the air, catching the light.

  I had a hunch that Lev—ever the gentleman—wouldn’t let it hit the ground, and I wasn’t disappointed.

  In one swift motion, he caught the necklace. A relief, actually, because that necklace costs as much as a down payment for a reasonably sized residential lot for a family of five in our county.

  I tilted my head, voice sugarcoated. The drilled voice Yvonne made me do for my “role” does have its uses. Although, I despise how similar I sound to her when I do this.

  “Oh my! I’m sorry about that and thank you, Young Master, for catching my necklace.”

  He arched a brow, “Young Master? Didn’t we already agree to drop formalities?”

  Before I could respond, he tucked the necklace into his right inenerpocket leaving everyone, including me, mildly confused—then, he reached into the other side and from it came a small velvet box.

  He opened it, and inside sat a necklace. It was plain, the gemstone was small, and the design understated, my type of jewelry, though, I was never really able to wear what I wanted since Yvonne always had a script for me to follow.

  There was no elaborate swirls of metal, and the gemstone wasn’t screaming for attention.

  It was just a small delicate *auren—a soft hue of pink, like my hair.

  Lev handed the box to a nearby staff member, then stepped closer and, with a tenderness that made my heart trip over itself, fastened the necklace around my neck. His fingers grazed my skin, barely a touch, but it was enough to make my face heat up even more.

  I felt more flustered. Ticklish.

  Then, once again, he spoke loud enough so that only I could hear.

  “I felt awful yesterday,” He said, fastening the necklace’s clasp, “Proposing to you with a ring obviously intended for someone else.”

  My heart clenched.

  He didn’t say her name. He didn’t have to.

  “But you…” He said, his voice dropping softer, “... were kind enough to accept it without saying anything.”

  “It’s a good thing you took off the other one.”

  His words caught me off guard.

  He… noticed what I did?

  “It made it easy for me to give you my present. I saw it earlier, and I got it because it reminded me of you. It’s different from your usual choice of jewellery so I’m not sure if you’ll like it.”

  I froze… But it wasn’t out of fear or awkwardness. It was… something else. Something warm and fuzzy…

  Lev turned me around, making me face him. With a faint smile, he touched the auren and smiled.

  “My first present to you,” He said. “It looks good on you.”

  I could practically hear the collective cogs turning of many guests’ brains.

  “Is this seriously happening right now?”

  “Him and her? They’re an item now?! Seriously?!”

  Part of me wanted to turn and confirm it, all smug and politely curtsying.

  Almost.

  Altrair, Cluster, and Chef gene’s faces were dramatically frozen mid-gasp like actors who’d forgotten their lines in a middle of a performance. Altair’s mouth opened, then closed, then opened again. Cluster blinked several times as though he was waiting for an illusion to dissolve. Chef Gene looked like was trying to calculate a complex equation or solve an intricate puzzle.

  Lev turned his attention toward the stunned masters of ceremony with an air of command.

  “Now if you’ll excuse us, we’ll go ahead and find our seats.”

  He didn’t wait for a response and swiftly wrapped him arm around my waist and guided me toward the theater’s entrance, leaving behind a sea of whispering nobles, scribbling journalists, and artists scrambling to catch our silhouettes before vanishing from view.

  I shouldn’t have enjoyed it as much as I did but it was fun. A different kind of reason for being in the spotlight from the one my sister forced on me.

  As we passed the entrance hall, gilded by warm lights and linen velvelt ropes, a flicker of movement caught my eye.

  I tilted my head slightly, just enough to not draw attention, and saw him.

  Huckleberry.

  I knew he slipped inside earlier but why was he standing around here? Knowing him, I thought he’d head to his seat immediately and take a nap.

  He was leaning on a column, eyes looking straight at me. No smile, no nod.

  “Chief, what the heck is going on” He asked with just the flick of his fingers moving through a series of hand signals so fast that a casual observer would’ve thought was just a nervous twitch.

  “Later,” I signaled back, making it look like I was fixing my sleeve.

  He grimaced but gave the slightest nod in return before heading to his seat. I don’t think anyone noticed he’d been looking at me at all.

  This wasn’t the time and definitely not the place to explain anything to him.

  Publicly, Huck and I were acquiantances—at best, polite strangers.

  A single conversation, a prolonged glance, even the faintest gesture too obvious, and I can imagine the press’s imaginations running wild.

  They’d probably say Huck and I were secretly lovers, that Lev was unaware I was sneaking around with another man. One of the worse cases they’d be digging into Huck’s background, pulling at strings best left untouched.

  Unwanted attention was unnecessary.

  Carelessness wasn’t something I could afford.

  Besides, I had something else to focus on.

  Our first date.

  Right here, right now, all eyes were on us. Stunned whispers followed us but they were just noise I’ve long since learned to tune out.

  I glanced towards Lev who looked unbothered, unshaken, and unreadable, like the fact that all this attention was on us meant nothing to him.

  And why exactly did I like his smug attitude about it so much?

  ACE IN THE HOLE GLOSSARY FOR THE CHAPTER

  Creautres:

  Hexar - a remarkable creature that has a robust, segmented body covered in fine, iridescent hairs that shimmer in shades of gold and amber.

  Miscellanous:

  Kryx - a captivating gemstone found only in the harshest, coldest regions of the world. Its hues range from deep violet to icy blue.

  Auren - a radiant gemstone found exclusively within the scorched heart of active volcanic zones, often embedded in cooled lava flows or within obsidian-like rock