The last day of the celebration dawned in a blur of gold and soft laughter, though Selene felt none of its joy. Her smile was polite, practiced, and very much hollow. Her father's birthday celebration had ended in an avalanche of formality, guests with perfect posture and forced smiles, endless meals, and conversation topics that made her yearn to leap out a window.
Finally, mercifully, it was over.
The palace grounds were returning to their natural rhythm. The colorful silks were coming down, musicians were packing away their harps and flutes, and nobles were preparing to return to their provinces.
So were her cousins.
"You could write," Aralyn said, adjusting the elegant silver clasp on her cloak as servants loaded their carriage. "You do remember how letters work, don't you?"
Selene rolled her eyes, arms folded across her chest. "Very funny."
"Just get permission next time, Selene," Lyra added, tucking a stray strand of auburn hair behind her ear. "You almost got locked in the palace forever."
"Almost," Selene said with a mischievous smirk.
"We're serious," Aralyn insisted. "The King nearly forbade us from seeing you again."
"That would've been your loss," Selene teased, then hugged them both tightly. "Promise you'll come back soon?"
"We will," Lyra said softly. "And if you must leave the palace again, try asking."
Selene gave them a tight-lipped grin, but the moment their carriage wheels began to roll away, she pivoted on her heel and marched straight to the throne room.
Queen Elaria was the first to raise an elegant brow when Selene entered. Her father, King Thalen, didn't even look up from the scroll in his hands.
"I need permission to leave the palace," Selene declared, stopping a few feet before the throne dais.
Thalen lowered the scroll and blinked slowly. "Already?"
Selene cleared her throat. "I've been locked in for a week. That's practically a lifetime."
"You were being punished."
"I was punished," she countered. "I wore dresses that choked my soul and made small talk with suitors who thought my name was Serena."
Queen Elaria's lips twitched. "That was entertaining."
Selene stepped closer, hands clasped dramatically. "Please. I'm not going to run off to get into trouble. I'll take Mara. I'll even let the guards follow quietly."
Thalen narrowed his eyes. "What's out there that can't wait?"
"Peace," Selene said. "And also… life. The lower quarter has fireworks this week. And music. And dancing. All the things I didn't get to do at your celebration."
The Queen exchanged a glance with the King.
Selene turned up the heat. "Have I ever let you down?"
"You snuck out last week."
"Besides that."
She took a breath, softened her tone. "I spent all week doing what I was supposed to. I greeted every noble, sat at every table, danced when I was told to, smiled until my cheeks burned. Can I have just a little bit of me time?"
Thalen sighed. "With Mara."
"Of course."
"And the guards."
"Of course!"
"In disguise."
"Absolutely."
He glanced at Elaria, who gave a faint nod.
"Fine," he said. "One afternoon. No mischief."
Selene curtsied so deeply she almost fell over. "No mischief at all."
She was halfway to the courtyard when she spotted him, leaning against a marble pillar, arms crossed, one brow raised like he'd been expecting her all morning.
"Going somewhere, Princess?" Drian asked smoothly.
Selene groaned, folding her arms. "Don't you have ducal duties to attend to?"
"Are you implying seeing you is not one of them?" he said, feigning offense.
She narrowed her eyes. "Don't be annoying."
"I'm trying to decide if you're running away again or if this is a socially acceptable outing."
"I have permission," she said smugly. "Unlike last time."
"Hmm," he said, stepping beside her. "And where exactly are you going?"
"Just out," she said quickly.
Drian tilted his head. "To do?"
"Things."
"Mischievous things?"
"Goodbye, Drian."
"You're not very good at lying."
"And yet I do it so often."
He laughed and walked with her a few paces. "You know I'd follow you if I didn't have a meeting with the council."
"Then it's your loss."
He stopped walking and looked at her more seriously than usual. "Selene… are you okay?"
The question caught her off guard.
"I will be," she said with a quiet smile.
For a heartbeat, neither of them said anything. Then Drian gave her a lopsided smirk. "Well, if you disappear, I'll come rescue you."
Selene rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Duke Charming."
In minutes, she was dressed in a plain gown, hood up, and slipping out of the grand gates of Aetherra with Mara at her side and three disguised guards trailing behind. She inhaled deeply as the city stretched before her, colorful, wild, and untamed.
She didn't know what she was searching for.
Only that her heart was restless.
And somewhere out there, a pair of silver eyes refused to leave her thoughts.