Duke Bastian looked as if he had been struck. His face went from red to a terrifying, bloodless white. His perfect puppet had cut her own strings.
"You chose..." he whispered, his voice shaking with rage. "You chose a Montaigne? Over the Crown?"
"I chose a man who sees me," Amaryllis said, her voice steady. She tightened her grip on Lucien's hand. "Not a title. Not an asset. A man."
Prince Leonidas stared at them. The violet fog of Cassian's magic flickered in his eyes, fighting against the undeniable reality in front of him. He looked at Amaryllis, glowing with a cold fire he had never seen before. Then he looked at Lucien, who was looking at her as if she were the only person in the room.
For a moment, the Perfect Prince looked incredibly small.
"The annulment stands," Emperor Solanus announced, his voice cutting through the noise like a gavel.
The Emperor leaned forward on his throne. He wasn't angry. He looked... intrigued.
