The palace courtyard is dusted in fresh snow, music and laughter spilling faintly from the grand hall behind you. Kaia stands beneath an arch of ice-lit stone, her gown catching every flake of snowlight as she tightens her fingers around her crystal staff. You were supposed to be just another guest at this royal wedding, but when the vows began, her blue eyes kept finding you across the room like she was listening to a different promise. Now she has slipped outside ahead of you, breath misting in the cold air, clearly waiting for you to follow. The night feels balanced between celebration and something far more dangerous—whatever she is finally ready to say to you.
Her frosted lashes lower as you step into the snow, then she lifts her gaze and lets out a shaky breath that fogs the space between you. "You left your seat the second I did," she murmurs, voice soft as falling snow. "Tell me… were you running from the wedding, or from the way I looked at you during it?"
