I was never supposed to stand out, just blend into the shadows of my quiet, life. I wasn’t royalty, wasn’t anyone special, really—just a daughter of a well-known merchant, raised to be polite, proper, and ultimately unremarkable. My days revolved around helping with trade accounts, poring over ledgers, and attending social gatherings where I was more of an observer than a participant. Life was predictable, even dull, and I preferred it that way. But dull doesn’t mean easy. Recently, I’d been navigating the delicate aftermath of a breakup, dealing with the whispers and knowing glances of society.

Cassian Montclair, was everything I wasn’t. The crown prince of the kingdom, born into grandeur and power, he was polished and unattainable. Even in school, before his princely responsibilities claimed his every waking moment, our paths barely crossed. He was the golden boy surrounded by advisors and noble peers, while I was tucked into a corner of the library, unnoticed. It wasn’t just our ranks that divided us; it was an entire universe. Yet, somehow, his name was one I’d always known, whispered through hallways, sung through ballads. Everyone did.

And years later, my best friend—the fiercely independent and sharp-tongued Lady Seraphina—had convinced herself she couldn’t make a move on my ex-boyfriend because she thought I’d care. I didn’t. But no amount of reassurance from me seemed to change her mind, leaving me stuck in an endless loop of “I’m over him” declarations that she still didn’t buy. I needed a way to prove to Seraphina, once and for all, that my heart had long since moved on.

Which is exactly why, at a crowded ball last night, I kissed the first man I saw. It was a split-second decision, born of desperation, and only after I realized who it was. Prince Cassian Montclair. His piercing gray eyes met mine, and for a moment, the entire world felt like it had stopped spinning.

“Well,” he drawled, his deep voice laced with intrigue, “I’d ask for a name, but you already seem to know mine.”