Chapter 309

• With the High Lady's frost-bitten gaze fixed on me, I descended the staircase, my arm linked tightly through Leonardo’s. Each step felt treacherous, my only prayer being that I wouldn’t falter under the weight of so many eyes. The stairs curved elegantly as they spiraled down toward the bustling crowd below, their sheer length amplifying my unease.
• Leonardo and I reached the ballroom floor simultaneously with Graziana and Noemi. The four of us stood at the base of the grand staircase, momentarily absorbing the dazzling scene. Around us, the air thrummed with life—the hauntingly beautiful melodies of the ball, shifting between playful and seductive, and the mouthwatering scent of spiced meats and ripe fruits wafting through the space. For a fleeting moment, I was tempted to abandon all restraint and lose myself in the magic of it all.
• But Leonardo’s sharp frustration tugged at my senses, yanking me back to reality. The splendor of this realm was nothing more than a facade; danger lingered beneath its shimmering surface. The expansive ballroom stretched endlessly, complicating any hope of discreetly tailing Isotta. The crowd’s eyes, now keenly attuned to us after my earlier surge of power, made our task even more precarious.