The ballroom did not settle after Corbin's arrival, it sharpened.
The music swelled again, violins climbing into something brighter, faster, almost frantic beneath its elegance, as if the room itself was trying to mask the shift that had just taken place. Conversations resumed, laughter returned, glasses clinked against one another in delicate rhythms, but it all felt rehearsed now, strained beneath the surface. Eyes lingered longer than they should. Whispers stretched thinner. Attention no longer moved freely: it calculated, it watched, it waited.
Because the prince had returned.
And he had not returned alone.
Avery moved through the crowd like she belonged to none of it, her tray balanced carefully in her hands, her posture composed, her expression hidden behind her mask. She did not look toward Corbin again not directly, not obviously but awareness of him clung to her like a second skin. She could feel it in the subtle shift of the room, in the way people angled themselves toward him, in the way silence followed wherever he stepped. And worse she knew he was looking for her.
"Stop thinking so loudly," Solyn murmured as she slipped past her, brushing shoulders in a way that looked accidental but wasn't. Her voice was light, but her eyes were sharp. "It's distracting."
"I'm not thinking," Avery replied under her breath, offering a glass to a passing noblewoman without missing a step.
"Liar," Solyn said easily. "You've offered wine to the same man twice."
Avery didn't look back. "Then he can drink twice."
"You are," Solyn said. "And you're doing that thing again."
"What thing?"
"The one where you pretend you don't care when you clearly do."
Avery exhaled softly. "I'm working."
"Mm," Solyn hummed. "And failing to be invisible."
Avery didn't respond to that.
Because Solyn wasn't wrong.
Across the ballroom, Kaia stood with far less restraint.
"You're glaring, little sister," a voice said beside her, calm, steady, and entirely unimpressed.
Kaia didn't look at him. "I am not glaring."
"You are," he replied. "And you've been doing it since you walked in."
She finally turned, irritation flashing across her face. "You've been back for five minutes, big bro, and you're already annoying."
Ajax only lifted a brow slightly, unbothered.
Up close, it was easy to see why people spoke about him the way they did. The North had carved itself into him, not in a way that made him look older, but in a way that made him feel sharper. More precise. His posture was straight without being rigid, his movements controlled without being stiff. Dark fabric framed his broad shoulders, the subtle detailing of a northern knight woven into the design, nothing overly ornate, but unmistakably earned. A faint scar traced just beneath his jaw, pale against his skin, as if it had only recently healed. He had shorter darker hair, his eyes the color of dark, golden hazel. He was older than his two sisters.
He looked like someone who had survived things he didn't talk about.
"I've been back long enough," Ajax said calmly, his gaze already scanning the room with quiet awareness, "to notice that you're about two seconds away from starting something you won't be able to finish."
Kaia scoffed. "I can finish anything I start."
"That's not the part I'm worried about."
Her irritation faltered just slightly, her attention shifting away from him despite herself. Her gaze moved through the crowd until it found exactly what she'd been trying to avoid.
Avery.
Moving through the ballroom.
Avoiding her.
Again.
"She looks fine," Kaia muttered, though there was something tight beneath the words.
Ajax followed her gaze, his expression unreadable as he watched Avery move seamlessly between nobles, her presence quiet but deliberate. "She looks careful."
"That's not what I meant."
"I know."
There was a pause, heavier than it should have been.
"She's been avoiding me," Kaia admitted, her voice lower now.
"Yes," Ajax said simply.
"I didn't even say anything that bad."
This time, he didn't answer right away.
Kaia turned to him, frustrated. "Oh, come on. Don't do that. Say it."
Ajax glanced at her, his gaze steady, unyielding in a way that made it difficult to look away. "You pushed her."
"I told her the truth."
"You told her something she wasn't ready to hear."
"That's the same thing."
"No," he said quietly. "It isn't."
Kaia looked away first.
Her jaw tightened as she watched Avery disappear behind a cluster of nobles, slipping out of sight with practiced ease.
"I don't like this," she muttered. "She's acting like I'm the enemy."
Ajax's gaze lingered a moment longer before shifting back to the room. "Then maybe," he said evenly, "you should ask yourself why."
Before Kaia could respond, a subtle shift moved through the crowd again, not loud, not obvious, but enough to draw attention.
Ajax noticed immediately.
"Ah," he murmured, his tone faintly amused. "And there she is."
Kaia followed his gaze and immediately groaned.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Sloane moved through the ballroom like she had never left.
Silver caught the candlelight with every step she took, her presence drawing attention without demanding it. Two noblewomen lingered beside her, their laughter soft, their admiration obvious, as though standing near her alone granted them importance. Her smile was warm, effortless, perfectly measured.
Until her gaze shifted.
Landing directly on Kaia.
"Well," Kaia muttered, crossing her arms. "If she starts something—"
"You are not escalating it," Ajax cut in smoothly.
"I won't start it."
"You never do," he replied dryly. "You just make sure it ends loudly."
Sloane reached them, her expression composed, her voice soft.
"Kaia," she greeted, as if they were old friends. "It's been a while."
Kaia didn't bow. Didn't curtsy. Didn't pretend.
"Sloane."
The women beside her fell silent immediately.
Sloane didn't react.
Of course she didn't.
"I heard you've been busy," she continued lightly.
"I heard you've been gone," Kaia shot back.
"Yes," Sloane said, tilting her head slightly. "The countryside was… refreshing."
"Should've stayed there."
A flicker passed through Sloane's eyes.
Gone before anyone else could catch it.
But Ajax did.
He stepped forward just enough, offering a polite nod. "Lady Sloane."
Her attention shifted to him, interest sparking faintly. "You must be Ajax," she said. "The northern knight."
"I've been called worse."
Her smile deepened just slightly. "I imagine you have."
Kaia made a quiet sound of annoyance.
Sloane's gaze drifted past them.
Toward the crowd.
Toward Avery.
Kaia saw it instantly and stepped into her line of sight.
"Don't," she said, her voice low and sharp.
Sloane's attention returned slowly. "Don't… what?"
"You know exactly what."
The air tightened.
Sloane tilted her head, studying her with quiet interest. "You've always been protective."
"And you've always been fake."
Sloane's smile didn't break but something behind it shifted.
"You should be careful," she said softly. "You're speaking above your place."
Kaia smiled, slow and cutting. "At least I know mine isn't built on lies."
That one landed.
Even Ajax stilled for a fraction of a second.
"I do hope you enjoy the evening," she said gently. "It would be unfortunate if something… unpleasant happened."
Kaia's eyes narrowed. "Was that a threat?"
Sloane let out a soft laugh. "Of course not."
A pause.
Then quieter-
"Just an observation."
And then she turned.
Walking away like she hadn't just drawn blood without lifting a hand.
"I hate her," Kaia muttered.
Ajax exhaled quietly. "That's becoming very clear."
But his gaze followed Sloane, thoughtful now.
Because that hadn't been casual. That had been deliberate.
Across the ballroom, Avery hadn't seen any of it, she was too busy serving along with Solyn. She moved through the crowd again, her steps steady, her hands sure—but her thoughts drifted, just for a moment.Just enough to think of him.
Ajax.
Her brother.
A full year since she had last seen him. Since he had left for the North, carrying duty like it was something carved into his bones. Letters had been rare. News even rarer. The North was not forgiving, not gentle, not kind to those who walked its borders.
And yet he was here. Somewhere in this room. Avery swallowed, her grip tightening just slightly around the tray. A part of her quiet, stubborn, impossible to silence, felt something close to anticipation. She wanted to see him. Wanted to know he was still the same.
"Careful," Solyn murmured, steadying the tray as Avery's focus slipped. "You're about to drop everything."
Avery blinked, grounding herself again. "I'm fine."
"You keep saying that."
"This time I mean it."
Solyn raised a brow but didn't argue.
Because across the room, something else was happening. Corbin was still watching her and beside the girl from the South watched everything. Her gaze moved across the ballroom with quiet precision, catching details others missed, piecing together something no one else could see yet. When her eyes landed on Avery, they lingered just slightly longer than before.
The night pressed on, heavier now, layered with tension, secrets, and glances that lingered too long.
Sloane was watching.
Corbin wasn't looking away.
The stranger was observing.
Kaia was already unraveling.
And Avery stood in the center of it all on the edge of a reunion she didn't know was about to change everything.
The music swelled again, louder this time, as if the ballroom itself was trying to drown out the tension threading through it. Dancers began to gather toward the center, silks brushing against polished floors, jewels catching the candlelight in flashes of gold and crimson. The illusion of elegance held—but barely.
Avery moved through it like a ghost.
Her tray was lighter now, only a few glasses left, but her hands felt heavier. Her attention kept slipping, pulled in too many directions at once.Corbin. The strange girl. Sloane. And somewhere somewhere in this crowded, suffocating room was her brother she missed so much.
"Avery."
Her name wasn't loud.
But it cut through everything.
She froze.
Just for a second.
Slowly—too slowly—she turned.
And there he was.
Ajax stood only a few steps away, no longer across the room, no longer an idea or a distant presence but real. Close. Watching her.
For a moment, everything else blurred.
The music softened. The voices faded. Even the weight of the ballroom seemed to fall away, leaving only the space between them.
He looked… the same and not.
Stronger, maybe. Sharper. The North had left its mark on him in ways that couldn't be hidden—subtle scars, a steadiness in his posture, something quieter behind his eyes that hadn't been there before.
But it was still him.
Still her brother.
"Avery," he said again, softer this time.
Her name sounded different coming from him.
Like it meant something.
She didn't move right away.
Didn't know how to.
For a second, all the things she had thought she would say—every imagined version of this moment—vanished completely.
"You're late," she said instead.
It came out wrong.
Too flat. Too controlled.
But Ajax didn't react the way she expected.
His mouth twitched slightly, not quite a smile. "I got here as fast as I could."
Avery let out a quiet breath, something in her chest loosening despite herself. "A year isn't fast."
"No," he admitted. "It's not."
"You look…" Ajax started, his gaze moving over her—taking in the mask, the uniform, the careful distance she held between herself and everything else.
"Tired?" Avery offered.
"Different," he corrected.
She let out a small huff. "That's one way to say it."
He stepped closer.
Not too close.
But enough.
"I heard things," he said quietly. "Not much. The North doesn't carry gossip well—but enough."
Avery's grip tightened slightly on the tray. "Then you heard wrong."
Ajax studied her for a moment, his gaze steady in a way that made it difficult to lie.
"…I didn't say I believed it," he replied.
Avery looked away first, shifting her weight slightly as if she suddenly remembered where she was. "You shouldn't be standing here," she said, her voice returning to something more controlled. "You're going to attract attention."
Ajax glanced around briefly, unimpressed. "I already have."
"That's not something to be proud of."
"I'm not," he said. "I just don't care."
That almost made her smile.
"Kaia's here," he added after a moment.
"I know."
"She's worried about you."
Avery's expression hardened slightly. "She has a funny way of showing it."
Ajax didn't argue.
Because he knew.
The orchestra swelled into the first dance, smooth and commanding, the kind of sound that wrapped itself around the room and demanded attention. Couples drifted toward the center of the ballroom, movements practiced, smiles effortless, every step part of a performance they had long mastered. Candlelight shimmered against polished floors, reflecting gold and crimson in a way that made everything feel almost unreal.
Avery moved along the edges of it all, her tray balanced carefully in her hands, her expression hidden behind the pale curve of her mask. She kept her steps measured, quiet, blending into the rhythm of the servants weaving through the crowd. He stood just beside her now, close enough that she could feel the shift in his presence every time someone passed too near. He didn't belong in the shadows the way she did, and it showed in everything about him. Where Avery had learned to shrink, to soften her movements and disappear into silence, Ajax stood grounded, steady, like he had never needed to make himself smaller for anyone.
They didn't look like a lot but their spirits told a lot.
"You're staring," Avery murmured under her breath as she offered a glass to a passing noble.
"I'm observing," Ajax replied calmly, though his eyes flicked briefly to the crowd again. "There's a difference."
"Not here there isn't."
He huffed softly, but his attention didn't ease. "This place…" he muttered, almost to himself. "It's worse than I expected."
Avery let out a quiet breath. "You get used to it."
"That doesn't sound like a good thing."
"It's not."
At the center of the ballroom, Corbin stepped forward. The shift was immediate. Even without raising his voice, without demanding anything at all, the room adjusted around him. Conversations softened, movement slowed, attention pulled toward him like something inevitable. Power didn't always need to be loud. Corbin's gaze swept across the room, slow, deliberate, taking everything in. His stopped at Avery.
Corbin's expression didn't change immediately, but something behind it sharpened as his gaze lingered. The tray in her hands. The servant's uniform. The mask. But his eyes narrowed, slightly, at the man beside her. He didn't recognized him and he was standing too close. The mysterious girl followed his gaze, she caught him staring at Avery more than once.
"Do you know him?" she asked quietly.
Corbin didn't answer right away.
"No," he said finally. "But I will."
"…he's looking at you again," Ajax said quietly.
Avery didn't look up. "Who?"
"you know who"
"Oh...just don't"
"Why?"
"Because it'll make it worse."
Ajax's jaw tightened slightly. "You say that like it can get worse."
Avery let out a quiet, humorless breath. "You have no idea."
The music shifted, drawing the dancers into motion, silks brushing against marble as the first steps of the dance began. Corbin didn't move. Not yet. His attention was still fixed, still watching the way Avery stood beside someone who clearly wasn't meant to be near her. "…Interesting," he murmured under his breath. The girl raised a brow. Finally, he stepped forward, allowing the flow of the dance to pull him into it, though his focus didn't fully leave. Because Avery laughed.
Ajax had said something quiet, low and for a split second, the tension in her shoulders eased, her posture loosening in a way Corbin had never seen before, not around him and not here. Something familiar flickered in Corbin's chest, it was sharp and unwelcomed.
"…You're distracted," the girl beside him observed calmly as they moved into position.
He didn't responded right away.
Sloane stood among the nobles, perfectly placed, perfectly composed and watching. She was annoyed, her gaze on mysterious girl that caught everyone's eye. Her fingers tightened slightly around the stem of her glass as she watched the girl move beside her fiancé, her smile still in place for those around her but her eyes were cutting.
"Careful," a noblewoman beside her whispered lightly, following her gaze. "You might burn a hole through her."
Sloane's smile didn't falter. "I'm simply observing."
Avery stepped back slightly to avoid a passing guest and Ajax's hand moved instinctively, steadying her at her waist. It was brief but Corbin saw it. His movement faltered for half a second barely noticeable, but enough. Enough for the girl to notice, even Sloane.
Across the ballroom, Sloane's gaze snapped from the southern girl—
to Avery.
To Ajax.
To the way his hand had touched her.
Something dark flickered behind her eyes.
Corbin's jaw tightened slightly as he continued the dance, his grip just a fraction firmer than before.
"…who is he?" he asked quietly.
The southern girl followed his gaze this time, her eyes landing on Ajax with quiet interest.
"Not court," she said. "He doesn't move like them."
Corbin's eyes narrowed slightly. "No."
The music pulled tighter, faster, the dance drawing to its peak. But Corbin wasn't fully in it anymore. He saw Avery's smile, he clenched his teeth, his lips set in a thin line. Her smile, small, quick but real and it wasn't meant for him.
Corbin exhaled slowly, forcing control back into place as the dance came to a close.
But his gaze didn't leave Avery.
Not once.
"Find out who he is," he said quietly.
The southern girl didn't look at him. "I already intend to."
The final note of the music rang through the hall, the dancers slowing, the room filling once again with soft laughter and applause. Avery's gaze met Corbin's in a second, she felt a shiver ran down her spine. She flinched as she wasn't looking for where she was going and tripped. She dropped the tray and it landed loudly on the floor.
Strong hands grabbed her. She looked up and her heart dropped. It wasn't Corbin. He looked like him, he had dark red eyes, instead of straight hair like Corbin, he had wavy hair. He was tan and very handsome.
"My, my, what do we have here?" he said with a smirk that revealed his fangs. His voice was low and husky.
She went still, she knew who he was.
Prince Asch.