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I stand, smoothing my hands down over my thighs, acutely aware of the way the dress fits my body for the first time. But it’s not the silk against my skin that unsettles me, it’s the way his gaze finds and holds every line.

“How much time before we leave?”

“Not long.” His voice sounds rougher than usual, the words catching slightly in his throat before he clears it. “A few minutes.”

His eyes move over me again. And I let myself look at him,reallylook at him.

Gone are the practical travel clothes, replaced by formal attire that carves him into something sharper, more commanding.

Black on black on black. Tunic, pants, and a long coat that falls to mid-calf, all cut to his frame with a precision that makes him seem taller, broader. Silver embroidery traces the edges of the coat, but where mine holds stars, his patterns suggest something darker. Shadows flowing, folding back into themselves. His sword hangs at his hip, the darkness of its sheath seeming to ripple faintly, as if alive.

There's something different about him tonight.

His jaw is cleanly shaven, the sharp angles of his face catching the lamplight. His hair falls loose around his shoulders, darker than midnight, but smoother than I’ve seen before, as if even that small wildness has been reined in. Only the single thin braid remains, hanging by his temple, three dark beads woven into it.

They don’t catch the light. Theydrinkit.

But it’s his eyes that truly reveal the change.

Not the full black of his unleashed power, but darker than before. Shadow moving just behind the irises, subtle but impossible to mistake. A depth that wasn’t there in the tower, or in the mountains, or even days ago in Ravencross.

The prisoner I met is completely gone. What stands before me now is something else entirely.

And it’s not just how he looks.

It’s the way he holds himself. All the careful restraint he usually maintains to appear ordinary has fallen away. He stands taller now, shoulders squared, chin lifted slightly, giving him an edgeof arrogance—not the loud, brash kind, but the quiet certainty of someone who no longer intends to hide what he is. As though he’s stepped fully back into a role born to command rather than conceal.

For a few long seconds, he just looks at me.

“You look …” He stops, seeming to reconsider his words.

“Different?” I offer, because the silence stretches too long, and I need to say something,anything, to break it.

“Transformed.” The word is soft. “The dress suits you.”

The compliment catches me off guard, heating my cheeks. “Thank you. They went to a lot of trouble.”

“It’s strategic as well as symbolic.” He moves further into the room, the space between us shrinking with every step. “Your appearance tonight will cause an impact. First impressions matter,particularly among those who have heard rumors but seen nothing.”

And just like that, the manipulations return.

Every human moment with Sacha inevitably reveals its calculated underside. I shouldn’t be surprised. I’ve seen how his mind works since I first laid eyes on him in the tower, where he turned me into just another piece on his mental chessboard.

But it still stings. Still leaves a bitter taste I can’t quite swallow. What would it feel like if, just once, he said something simply because he meant it, and not because it served a purpose?

“So, I’m a prop for your triumphant return?”

“Not a prop. An important factor.” He stops an arm’s length away, his gaze steady. “You have to understand, Ellie. Your presence changes everything, both for me and them. How you are received will influence what happens next.”

I fiddle with my sleeve. “And how should I behave? Since this is all planned out.”

“Be yourself.”

When I snort, he shakes his head, another one of those almost-smile’s ghosting over his lips. “Your natural reactions to this world carry more authenticity than any role I might suggest. That is more valuable than pretending.”

Something in his tone makes me lift my head. When I meet his gaze, there’s an intensity there that has nothing to do with political maneuvering.

“You’ve continually adapted to circumstances that would break others. You’ve faced a new world, dangers beyond your experience, and youstillkeep your goal in mind.” His eyes meet mine. “That resilience is powerful, Ellie. More valuable than any dress or ceremony.”