Julian nearly didn't recognize the princess. The haughty, untouchable sister of the Emperor had been replaced by a hollowed-out shadow. Her skin was a sickly pale, and her frame had grown lean under the weight of her disgrace. After the scandal—the public leak of those devastating photos—she had become the palace's most hidden shame, a prisoner of her own bloodline.
She chose to hide herself, because how could she go around socializing after she had slept with most of the young noble women's fiancés and husbands?
As she raised her head, her hollow gaze locked onto Julian's, and her breath hitched, her entire body freezing mid-step. She stood in front of him, saying absolutely nothing, but there was a sudden, piercing brightness in her eyes—a spark that hadn't been there a second ago.
Julian felt a familiar, cold prickle in his peripheral vision. He squinted, and the System window flickered to life.
