The lilies were the first thing that made me want to scream.
They were everywhere—overflowing from crystal vases, pinned to the lapels of men who sold souls for breakfast, and woven into the massive chandeliers of the Grand Hall. They smelled like a funeral. My mother called it "the scent of old money," but as I stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirror, I knew better. It was the scent of something dying.
"Keep your chin up, Aurelia," my mother murmured, her fingers cold as she fastened the Valerius heirloom around my neck. It was a necklace of raw diamonds and white gold. It felt like a leash. "Tonight isn't just a gala. It's a transition. The world is looking for a reason to doubt us. Don't give them a single crack."
"I'm not a statue, Mom," I whispered, my breath fogging the glass.
"Tonight, you are," she replied, her eyes meeting mine in the reflection. She didn't smile. She just smoothed the silk of my gown—a shade of midnight blue that made my skin look like porcelain. "Now, go. Julian is waiting for the first dance."
I stepped into the ballroom, and the wall of noise hit me: the artificial laughter, the clinking of champagne flutes, and the low, rhythmic hum of a string quartet. I played my part. I smiled until my cheeks ached. I let Julian—golden-haired, perfect, and terrifyingly hollow—lead me across the floor.
But then I saw it.
As Julian leaned in to whisper a hollow compliment, his cufflink shifted. Beneath the gold was a small, scorched mark on his wrist—a symbol of a bird with its wings clipped. The Omen.
My heart did a slow, painful roll in my chest. I'd heard the rumors—of the secret society the heirs of this city formed to keep their power, of the rituals they performed in the dark. I hadn't realized the boy I was supposed to marry was one of them.
"I need air," I choked out, breaking away from him before the song ended.
I didn't stop until I reached the West Library, a place the party-goers avoided because it was too quiet, too full of dust and truth. I leaned against a mahogany shelf, gasping, my hand over the diamonds at my throat.
"You're going to break that string if you pull any harder."
The voice came from the shadows of the balcony. It wasn't Julian's polished tone. It was deep, rough, and entirely unimpressed.
A boy stepped into the sliver of moonlight filtering through the high windows. He wasn't wearing a tuxedo. He wore a simple black sweater with the sleeves pushed up, revealing arms that looked like they actually knew the meaning of hard work. This was Caspian. I'd seen him in the back of my Advanced History class—the scholarship student who never spoke, the boy with eyes like a stormy sea.
"I thought this area was off-limits to... guests," I said, trying to regain my "Crown Jewel" composure.
Caspian leaned against the railing, his dark hair messy, his gaze tracing the line of my expensive dress with something that felt like pity. "I'm not a guest, Aurelia. I'm the help. I'm cataloging these books so your father can brag about his collection at the next auction."
He took a step closer, and for the first time all night, the air didn't smell like lilies. It smelled like rain and old paper.
"You look like you're suffocating," he said softly. It wasn't a question.
"I'm fine," I lied, though my voice trembled.
Caspian reached out, his hand stopping just inches from my shoulder. He didn't touch me—he knew he couldn't. I was the girl on the pedestal, and he was the boy in the shadows.
"You're wearing that dress like it's armor," he whispered, his eyes searching mine, "but you're still shivering. They've built a cage out of gold for you, haven't they?"
Before I could answer, a heavy thud echoed from the hallway—the sound of Julian and his friends approaching. Caspian's expression shifted from pity to a sharp, dangerous intensity. He pressed a small, cold object into my hand and disappeared into the darkness of the stacks just as the doors swung open.
I looked down. In my palm sat a silver coin, identical to the one I'd seen in the rumors.But on the back, someone had scratched a single word: RUN.