Chapter 279

• The grand Baroque doors swung open, their stone-like surface shimmering with countless colors. A cool rush of air swept through, tousling my hair with the scent of fresh snow and sweet flowers. I had imagined some sort of formal gathering—a stately dinner perhaps, filled with powder-blue gowns and aloof royals.
• Instead, the sight that greeted me was something out of a dream. Crystallized orbs of ice hung suspended, radiating pure light, while the entire ballroom appeared carved from crystal and diamond. Ethereal-looking Fae filled the room, their beauty otherworldly.
• As we stepped inside, the room hushed, and I felt the weight of at least a dozen eyes on me—some cold, others heated. I had no doubt many of them harbored the same disdain as Marinella, though I clung to the hope that a few shared Andrea's open-mindedness.