The Royal Palace ballroom was exactly as obscene as I remembered from the game.
Thousands of floating candles held aloft by magic. Soaring ceilings painted with frescoes of Astervane's glorious history. Every surface covered in gold and white marble and crystalline chandeliers that probably cost more than most nobles' estates.
Overcompensating.
Definitely overcompensating.
Nothing says "we're secure in our power" like drowning everything in gold.
I walked through the entrance with my head high and Nyx draped across my shoulders like a living necklace of menace, and the effect was IMMEDIATE.
Conversations stopped mid-sentence.
Nobles turned to stare.
Someone dropped their wine glass.
Oh, this is DELICIOUS.
They're TERRIFIED.
They see the Shadowviper and they see ME and they don't know what to THINK.
The whispers started instantly:
"—is that a Shadowviper—"
"—Lady Isabel Raven—"
"—she's completely CHANGED—"
"—dark magic familiar—"
"—what is she THINKING bringing that HERE—"
I'm thinking that I'm about to rewrite history.
I'm thinking that Original Isabel walked into this ballroom as prey.
And I'm walking in as a PREDATOR.
I found a position near one of the massive windows where I could observe the entire ballroom, and I began cataloging targets.
There.
Prince Aldric Solcrest.
Standing near the throne dais, surrounded by sycophants.
Looking bored and superior and absolutely certain of his own righteousness.
He was tall—easily six feet—with golden hair and blue eyes that marked House Solcrest's divine bloodline. Sharp aristocratic features. Perfect posture. An expression of polite interest that didn't reach his eyes.
He's going through the motions.
Playing his role as the perfect prince.
Thinking he's ABOVE all this.
He wore formal white and gold—royal colors—with a cape that probably cost more than most families earned in a year.
Everything about him screams "I'm better than you."
Everything about him screams "I'm untouchable."
He's about to learn that he's WRONG.
I watched him dismiss a young noble with a single cutting remark—watched the man flush red and retreat in humiliation—and felt cold satisfaction settle in my chest.
That's what he did to Original Isabel.
Dismissed her. Humiliated her. Made her feel WORTHLESS.
Not tonight.
Tonight, I'm the one doing the dismissing.
And then his eyes swept the ballroom and landed on me.
There it is.
Recognition.
He SEES me.
I watched his expression change—surprise, then confusion, then something that looked like disgust barely concealed behind royal politeness.
He remembers Original Isabel.
The desperate, pathetic girl who cried at court functions.
The girl who BEGGED for his attention.
The girl he destroyed at this very ball.
He's expecting the same thing.
He's expecting me to grovel.
He's expecting WEAKNESS.
I smiled—slow, deliberate, absolutely wicked—and raised my hand in a small wave.
Hello, darling fiancé.
Ready to have your world DESTROYED?
Aldric's expression flickered—confusion, wariness, something that might have been anger—and then he was walking toward me.
Perfect.
He's coming to me.
He's going to try to put me in my place.
Just like he did to her.
Except this time, I'm READY.
The nobles parted as he approached, and I could feel their attention shifting to us. Everyone was watching. Everyone wanted to see what would happen when the prince confronted his scandalous fiancée.
An audience.
PERFECT.
Let them ALL witness this.
Aldric stopped a few feet away, his expression carefully neutral, and I could see him taking in the changes—the confidence, the Shadowviper, the complete absence of desperation in my posture.
"Lady Isabel," he said, and his voice was cold. Polite, but cold. "You look... different."
Different.
That's one word for it.
Powerful. Dangerous. Absolutely done with your bullshit.
Those are OTHER words.
"Your Highness," I said, offering a curtsy that was technically perfect but somehow managed to convey complete mockery. "How observant. Yes, I've made some changes. Do you approve?"
I gestured to Nyx, who raised its head and flicked its tongue in Aldric's direction.
Look at my familiar.
Look at my POWER.
Look at what I've BECOME.
Aldric's eyes narrowed slightly.
"A Shadowviper," he said. "An interesting choice for a familiar. They're known for bonding with practitioners of dark magic."
There it is.
The accusation.
The contempt.
He's trying to shame me.
Just like he shamed her.
"Are they?" I said innocently. "How fascinating. I just thought it was beautiful. And deadly. And absolutely perfect."
I paused, letting my smile widen.
"Much like myself, really."
Take THAT, you self-righteous prick.
Several nearby nobles gasped. Someone actually choked on their wine.
They're SHOCKED.
They can't believe I just compared myself to something deadly.
They can't believe I'm not APOLOGIZING.
Good.
Let them be shocked.
Let them see that I'm NOT Original Isabel.
Let them see that I'm something WORSE.
Aldric's carefully controlled expression remained neutral, but I saw his jaw tighten.
"You've certainly become more... confident," he said, and the word "confident" sounded like an insult.
Just like he insulted her.
Just like he made her feel small.
Not this time.
"Thank you," I said cheerfully. "I've been working on it. Self-improvement and all that. You know how it is—wake up one day and realize you've been wasting your life trying to please people who will never respect you anyway."
I let that hang in the air for a moment.
"So I decided to stop trying. Much more liberating."
There.
First blood.
I just told him—and everyone listening—that I'm done seeking his approval.
I just told him he's IRRELEVANT.
Aldric's eyes flashed with something that might have been anger.
"I see," he said coldly. "And this new... confidence... includes practicing dark magic? Keeping dangerous familiars? Abandoning all sense of propriety?"
Propriety.
He's lecturing me about PROPRIETY.
Just like he did before he threw wine in her face.
Just like he did before he DESTROYED her.
His hand moved slightly—not toward his sword, not yet, but the tension in his shoulders told me he was ANGRY.
Good.
Be angry.
Lose control.
Show everyone that the perfect prince is just as WEAK as the rest of them.