Page 55

Music echoed through the main hall as Celestials played renditions of songs on harps and violins. The sound was still soft and distant beneath the swell of voices and laughter as gold and silver lights shimmered from the chandeliers onto them.

Silas stood beside me, unmoving, his eyes locked on Veronica as she drifted through the crowd in a midnight gown, its lace details hugging her frame in a way that made Silas freeze.

“You’re staring,” I said flatly.

“I’m observing . There’s a difference.”

I suppressed a smirk. Silas and I were still feeling tense from when he figured out about Grace and me, but that was the thing with Silas. He could be mad or hurt or feel betrayed and he’d cover it up easily, like nothing happened in the first place.

“Speaking of observing...” Brandon’s voice cut in as he elbowed me lightly. “Is Grace coming or what?”

I shifted my weight, my fingers brushing the edge of my brother’s crumpled letter in my pocket. “Doubt it,” I said, keeping my voice casual. “She wasn’t exactly excited about this whole ball thing.” I was going to wait for the competition announcements and then head to her dorm.

I wanted nothing more than to see her, and being in this hall with a bunch of people that I didn’t want to see bored me.

“Excuse me,” Silas muttered, not having listened one bit, as he straightened his bow tie and waltzed his way up to Veronica.

Before I could roll my eyes and turn to Brandon, he had already been called across the room by someone and excused himself with a wink.

Which left me alone.

I didn’t mind.

“I see you are still broody as always, Mr Cain.”

That was short-lived.

I turned slightly, just enough to acknowledge Nadael with a tense smile and hoped she would take that as a sign that I did not want to engage in conversation.

She chuckled. “And just as non-talkative as the first day you arrived here.”

My jaw clenched as I surveyed the crowd, and my fingers dug into the folded letter in my pocket, crumpling it further. “I had my reasons back then.” Still do.

Nadael sighed. I could just about picture her red lips pursed in a way that reminded me of when my mother would be disappointed with me for misbehaving. “You’ve always been an excellent Ascendant, Mr Cain. I know your brother would be proud.”

I saw red for a second, my breath sharp in my chest as memories of Nadael and Council members telling me my brother could not join me at Celestia swirled in my vision. I was ready to tell Nadael, something that I shouldn’t, but then—

Someone caught my eye.

Grace had just walked in, and for a moment, the entire room felt like it tilted.

Her timid eyes searched the hall as I stared at her. She wasn’t wearing something flashy or overly formal. No, it was something else entirely— her.

The gown was golden, deep and rich, fading into darker shades at the hem.

Black branches stretched upward like they were reaching for the sunflowers that bloomed across the fabric.

The off-the-shoulder design framed her collarbones, the soft curves of her neck and the way the dress hugged her waist before flowing into something untouchable .

Her curls were down, untamed and wild—the way I always liked them.

Marnie then trailed beside her in a sparkly green gown, but it didn’t matter. No one else mattered.

Nadael was still talking, but her words blurred as my gaze lingered on Grace.

I needed to get away.

“I appreciate what you’re telling me, Nadael—” A fucking lie. “ But if you’ll just excuse me.”

I didn’t wait for her response as I moved, weaving through the crowd, not fast enough but still too fast to be casual.

Grace’s eye caught mine halfway across the room, and for a second, I forgot where I was. Forgot why I couldn’t just pull her in and kiss her right there in front of everyone.

Instead, I stopped just short of her, my heart beating way too fast for the first time in years. “Grace,” I said, quieter than I meant to.

Her lips curved into a small smile, uncertain but radiant.

“You’re…” I faltered, searching for something that could match what I was seeing.

Stunning didn’t even begin to cover it, but it was all I could manage.

Her bronzed cheeks flushed the faintest pink, and I wanted nothing more than to close the space between us. But before I could, a group of students, voices high with excitement, pulled her away with compliments and questions about her dress.

I stood there, rooted in place, watching as she was whisked away. Yet even while others surrounded her, laughing and chatting, her eyes still found mine.

Then Joe appeared, standing close and saying something in her ear.

Grace wasn’t really listening, though. Her eyes were still on me.

The letter in my pocket suddenly felt heavier than ever.

I pictured my brother writing it, but nothing felt real about it. I hadn’t even shown Grace the letter when she found out about Aaron, and yet I now realized I didn’t need to cling to it. All it was, was a reminder of the unknown.

I pulled the letter out slowly, staring at the messy scrawl for only a second as my grip on it tightened.

Then, I tore it.

Piece by piece.

I watched the fragments flutter into a nearby bin, and without another thought, I moved toward Grace.

I’d found what I was looking for.

Her.