Chapter 113 A Cinderella Moment

• And suddenly... It felt like the world around us fell away. The gilded arches, the tiered balconies crowded with nobles, the candlelit faces craning to watch, every last fragment of it dissolved into a soft, ringing hush that left only the two of us standing there. My breath caught in my throat. I lowered my gaze and mimicked the curtsy I’d seen the other women perform, hoping the trembling in my limbs wasn’t obvious. The layers of my gown whispered around me as I bent my knees, fighting the instinct to flee. When I rose, he hadn’t looked away. His eyes, dark and fathomless, remained fixed on mine, the quiet intensity in them was so disarming I felt my pulse stutter.
• He inclined his head in solemn acknowledgment. Then he lifted his hand. And though I had imagined this moment a thousand different ways, nothing could have prepared me for the reality of it. Slowly, because I couldn’t seem to make my body obey any faster, I placed my hand into his. His palm was warm and steady. His thumb stroked across the back of my hand in a single, tender motion. The simple touch, so small, so impossibly gentle, sent a cascade of warmth through my chest that threatened to undo me entirely.
• I looked up, startled. And saw his mouth curve into a small, quiet smile. Not the polished, careful smile he gave to the others. In that heartbeat, all the worries that had been gnawing at me, my clumsy fear, my dread of humiliating myself, the suspicion that he’d already forgotten me, seemed to melt away, as though they had never really belonged to this moment at all. He guided me forward, his hand enclosing mine in a reassuring pressure that steadied my steps. When we reached the center of the ballroom, he moved with measured precision, positioning himself.