The ballroom was alive with music, the sweep of violins carrying through the vaulted ceiling as nobles and courtiers twirled across polished marble. Gold chandeliers scattered their glow over the masks and jewels of guests from across kingdoms. For Aurora, it was another duty — another night to smile, to play the role of the princess everyone expected her to be. Her family had raised her in splendor, but sometimes she felt more like a symbol than a girl. Tonight, though, as she descended the staircase in her royal blue gown embroidered with gold, something in the air felt different. Her curls brushed against her shoulders as her half-up, half-down style framed her mask, its golden details glinting with each step. Eyes followed her, but she hardly noticed. Because someone else had already noticed her. Across the ballroom, a young man stood apart from the crowd. His deep navy jacket, lined with golden embroidery, gave him an air of quiet authority. His black and gold mask concealed much of his face, but not his eyes — sharp, steady, and fixed on her as though no one else existed. Their paths crossed near the edge of the dance floor. He bowed, not stiffly like the suitors she had met before, but with something that felt… genuine. “May I?” he asked, offering his hand. Aurora hesitated only a breath before sliding her gloved fingers into his. His grip was firm, yet careful, and he guided her into the music with a natural grace. “You wear the room’s colors,” he said quietly once they were moving, his voice low enough for her alone. “Blue and gold have never looked so alive.” Aurora blinked, caught off guard by the simplicity of it. No rehearsed flattery, no hollow praise of beauty — just a remark that somehow made her pulse quicken. She glanced at the golden trim of his jacket, the way it mirrored her own gown. “And you?” she returned softly, her lips curving into the faintest smile. “You wear them too. Perhaps the room is ours tonight.” His answering smile reached his eyes. “Then we should dance like it belongs to us.” Aurora’s heart fluttered as they spun together, the skirts of her gown sweeping over marble, the chandeliers above blurring into ribbons of light. She felt lighter than she had in years — not the princess bound by duty, but a girl, alive in the moment with a stranger who felt far less like a stranger than he should. Unbeknownst to either of them, their families had already written their story. But for now, under the glitter of the masquerade, it was just them — two souls moving as one.