Nitiri stood outside of the Amorian castle in Unérith. The spires loomed against the sky, leaving their dark imprint against the deep blues of twilight behind them. The entire castle was built from yellowed bricks, with the tops of the peaks painted orange. The Amorian flag was visible on every tower. She sighed and looked down at her ridiculously puffy ball gown. It was an identical hideous orange to the sun on the Amorian flag and much too frilly for her liking. But it drew attention and aligned with Amorian fashion, which was what she needed.

“I hate parties,” she mumbled in disgust as she trudged up the entrance staircase to the grand front gates.

The happy, upbeat music assaulted her ears as soon as she entered the ballroom. The chatter and laughter made her grimace. The blinding light from the monstrous chandeliers hurt her eyes. Candles’ waxy scents made her nose wrinkle. She never liked galas. They reminded her of the night her life had fallen to shambles. Nitiri shook her head and tried to focus on the task ahead of her. The ball was for the prince of Amora. It was his twenty-first birthday.

I must find him, Nitiri thought as she searched the ballroom for someone who looked like a twenty-one-year-old royal birthday host.

The room was crowded, but most of the guests were around her age.

My natural age, she corrected herself.

For a second, she wished she had sent someone to take care of the prince for her, but she cast the thought aside. She wanted to deal with him personally. Leaving the job to one of her minions could lead to error, and she didn’t want any chance of failure after the episode with Elurra.

Her gaze fell on the royal dais and, for a moment, her gaze focused on her end prize. The king’s Kutsal Stone gleamed in his crown, tempting her from across the room. The blue-tinged terrant surrounded the stone in a pattern of netting inside the crown, which protected the kingdom from unexpected rifts opening. Nitiri toyed with the notion of stealing the crown off the king’s head, but she knew there was no way she would succeed without being stopped, and magic inside of the Amorian castle was not an option. The castle was a dead zone to magic because the Guardians had made it so long ago. No, she would get the stone one day, but that day would come after she conquered this pathetic land and slaughtered its royalty.

She tore her eyes from the crown and forced herself to look for the prince. Eventually, she spotted him in a large group of dignitaries and ladies. There was no doubting his identity. He wore a crown of gold with the symbol of Amora in the center. He appeared to be bored out of his wits but was masking it well as he listened to one of the girls blabbering. Nitiri smiled despite herself. At least she wasn’t the only one who disliked gaudy events.

She shoved and prodded her way through the crowd until she was standing right behind him. Then she realized she didn’t quite know what to do next. She couldn’t simply ask for a dance. There were hundreds of girls there, and she was sure she wouldn’t stand out among the numerous requests. The prince was not unattractive, so every girl in the land would want to win his heart. The only thing setting Nitiri apart was her desire to make it stop beating.

“Excuse me!” someone behind her bellowed.

The person shoved her, and she toppled forward into Prince Kai, who had just turned around. He automatically extended his arms to stop her fall. Nitiri righted herself, her face burning.

“Please excuse me, Your Highness. I did not mean to—” She looked up and had to keep herself from inhaling too sharply.

His skin was flawless, and his eyes sparkled like emeralds. His hair was a dark chocolate brown and went perfectly with his richly tanned skin. She realized her mouth was hanging open and shut it.

You are twice his age, she reminded herself as she quelled the pesky hormones leftover from her temporary transformation. This youthful form reminded her of her loneliness, which she had forgotten after long years of solitude. She shook off her sentimental feelings and focused herself on the task at hand.

“Are you alright, miss…?” Prince Kai trailed off to let her provide her name.

“I am Duchess Yasmine Tor from the northern parts of Incari. I apologize profusely for losing my balance in such a manner,” she said, adjusting her dress and regaining her footing.

Nitiri looked up and abruptly realized he was staring at her. The potion had done a splendid job of accentuating her former youth and beauty. Her mirror had shown her wavy ginger hair, pale skin, and transfixing hazel eyes.

“I am Prince Kai. It is a pleasure to meet you, Duchess Yasmine,” he replied formally before leaning down to kiss her outstretched hand. His lips were soft and smooth on her cool skin. “Would you like to dance, duchess?”

The other ladies gave Nitiri withering looks, but Kai ignored them.

“I would enjoy that, Your Highness."

She placed her hand on his outstretched arm. He gracefully escorted her to the dance floor. She smiled at him sweetly and ignored the flutter in her stomach when he smiled back.

“I have a confession to make, Duchess,” Kai said as they twirled around the ballroom.

“What confession is that?”

“I am only dancing with you because you literally fell into my arms, and you are a refreshing new face. I was getting a bit claustrophobic. It is not often I get much breathing room.”

“I noticed. I was simply trying to get to the punch bowl, but I found it difficult to wade through the crowd.”

Kai smiled at her. “Have you ever been to Amora before?”

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“Only a few times, but never to attend a ball. I normally loathe parties.”

“My fondness of the party normally directly relates to whether or not I am the center of attention. I prefer when I can melt into the shadows.”

Nitiri laughed.

“The prince of Amora desires to blend in at a social gathering? You might need an elixir of invisibility to achieve such a goal, Your Highness.”

Kai chucked heartily as the song ended and another began. A flock of girls appeared behind Nitiri to take the next dance with the prince, but he grinned mischievously and gracefully swept Nitiri into the next dance while expertly maneuvering around them.

“Do you mind if I claim you as my dance partner for the rest of the night? I must admit you are a witty conversationalist,” he said. Nitiri grinned.

“Only if you can get me closer to the punch bowl.”

“Deal,” he snickered.

They danced together all night. As they swirled around the dance floor, they traded stories, hobbies, and various interests; however, as Nitiri struggled to generate a list of personal passions that didn’t involve subjugating Incari, summoning Demons, collecting Kutsal Stones, and researching necromancy, she let the prince do most of the talking. A few minutes before midnight, the prince escorted her out to the balcony, which overlooked the North. Nitiri could see the mountains marking the edge of Lur Alava.

My kingdom.

She couldn't believe everything was working out so smoothly. Her fingers curled around the dagger concealed beneath her dress, and she slowly started to pull it free. It would be simple to drive it into his chest and then disappear into the night. The dagger was a noble Lur Alavian dagger, inscribed with the royal crest, and her masquerade as a nonexistent Lur Alavian diplomat would be the final straw. When the Amorian king demanded they hand over Duchess Yasmine and Queen Nitiri refused, Amora would declare war. She had just pulled the dagger free when Kai spoke.

“I have never met anyone like you, Yasmine. You are so wise for your years.”

He met her eyes, and her heart leaped from her chest as she concealed the dagger once again. She had to avert her gaze because he reminded her of someone else. Someone she tried her best to forget. For a moment, the image of a pale boy with dark hair and green eyes like the prince’s appeared vividly in her mind’s eye. She pushed it away, vowing not to think about the past.

“I must admit, I have many motivations for spending so much time with you this evening,” Kai continued as he looked over the balcony edge. “You see, I was searching for a bride to satisfy my parents. I was debating between snobby Amorian nobility and resigning myself to a life of misery a few hours ago. Then I met you.”

Kai turned back to her and looked straight into her eyes. Nitiri had to make a conscious effort to keep her mouth shut. Her heart pounded in her chest, and her eyes widened. Her eighteenth birthday party flashed through her mind once again. She remembered standing out on the balcony, the crisp air against her skin and snowflakes piling on her eyelashes.

“Yasmine, will you marry me?” Kai asked. “I know this is sudden, but I feel an unexplicable connection to you, and I promise you will be happy here.”

Nitiri cringed as she fought to suppress the haunting memories burning like hot coals in the darkest recesses of her mind. Her fingers grasped at the ring dangling from her throat.

I thought twenty-six years was enough time to lessen the torment, but I was wrong. Thinking of that night still hurts.

“Yasmine?” Kai's voice brought her back to the warm night air. She shook her head.

“Sorry, I do not know what to say," she said weakly. He looked at her with concern.

“Why are you crying? Have I caused you such distress?””

She reached up and touched her damp cheek in revelation. Nitiri shook her head and clutched the hilt of the dagger until she felt her fingers going numb.

“It is not you. My deepest apologies. I have very bad memories of balls.”

To her amazement, Kai took her into his arms.

“It is going to be alright," he whispered softly in her ear.

She felt the cool metal from the spider ring brush against her neck. It was yet another reminder of her family's betrayal and the end of her happiness. Nitiri tried to keep herself calm, but Kai reminded her of someone she had loved long ago. She shoved the dagger back into the folds of her dress with shaking fingers. She couldn’t kill him right now. She was barely able to keep herself together; she needed to get away from here and regain her senses. Darkness tainted her memories. She had tried to repress her past for so long, and yet, when she was so close to regaining all she had lost, it came back to haunt her.

She had caused the Demon attacks on Lur Alava years before. She was the one who stole the crown and left the Kutsal Stone behind. By separating the terrant from the stone, she killed her parents and countless others. So many people died for her revenge, but it was her brother’s fault. Nitiri didn’t wait long for her parents’ deaths after she unleashed Demons on the castle. Her father died the next night. The Kutsal Stone was hidden in a secret chamber in his bedroom, so his swift death made sense. A week later, Nitiri’s mother fell victim to another attack.

Many more of the castle residents perished before the stone was discovered without its casing. But terrant was rare and hard to forge. Without the crown, the attacks continued randomly. The Lur Alavians begged the other nations for help, but no one had enough terrant, and no one desired to venture north when Demons could strike without warning.

A guard, armed with a Guardian's sword from the Great War, protected her brother all throughout his childhood, saving him from countless Demon attacks. He grew up alone, with various advisers to guide him until he turned the proper age. When it was time for the young king to marry, all his possible suitors were afraid to even enter Lur Alava, much less marry the cursed king. A few years passed, and Lur Alava started to lose hope of ever having a queen or seeing an end to the Demon attacks.

Then rumors reached the ears of her spies, telling of a beautiful blonde commoner who visited the castle every day. Months later, the rumors proved true when the king made a public announcement: he was marrying her. Nitiri waited for doom to strike like before, but the Demon attacks ceased. The king claimed the Kutsal Stone was again caged away, thanks to his new wife.

The two lived happily for the rest of their days. They even had a daughter. Nitiri burned with loathing for her brother, who received everything that was supposed to be hers. Her kingdom, her life, her happiness. She was glad the curse had killed her parents, and she hoped tragedy would befall her brother’s beloved family. After all, Nitiri’s exile was his fault. She watched from afar with growing resentment as her brother finally found happiness with a serf, while she was left alone and forgotten in the outskirts of society.

Remembering her family’s betrayal gave her new strength to kill Kai.

“Yasmine? Please tell me what’s wrong. I can help.”

She pulled away to look into Kai’s dark green eyes. They were full of kindness and compassion. Nitiri gazed at him for a long time. He looked at her tenderly, and she wanted to recoil. Images of another flooded her mind as she leaned up and kissed him. She wanted to feel something—anything—but she was hollow. She could only think of the man her family stole from her years before.

Her head throbbed like someone was beating on the inside of her forehead with a hammer. The castle bells struck one in the morning.

“I have to go,” she said suddenly.

“Wait, Yasmine. Will you ever answer my question? Will you return tomorrow?”

“Meet me at the river tomorrow at noon, right down there,” she said, pointing to a clearing beside the gurgling river far below. “I will give you an answer then. I think you are wonderful, and I believe I would be a fool not to accept your proposal, but everything is happening so fast. I need some time to think.”

“I will meet you,” he promised.

Without another word, Nitiri turned away from the prince and rushed back into the ballroom.