Maximilian bent toward her, as if drawn by instinct, as if she pulled him into a trance.
As if this...this... was what love felt like.
And then Catherine saw it.
That smile. The one. The same one he had worn while standing by the window of her bath chambers, just after he had promised to marry her.
The same smile he wore just before he vanished... Just before he ruined her reputation... Just before he killed his mother... Just before she was forced into marriage with a man twice her age... Just before her life collapsed.
Just before her ruin, orchestrated by… him.
Her reaction was immediate, like cold water thrown straight into her veins.
Her heart stopped pounding. The butterflies vanished. The heat drained from her skin. The softness in her face disappeared. Her eyes went cold.
Maximilian felt it at once.
Moments ago, her gaze was warm; gold threaded softly through green, edges blurred, human. Reachable, as though his words had truly touched her.
Now…
