The music of the ball floated in the air, full of harmony and elegance, but for Rashta, the night seemed more like torture than a celebration. The glow of the lights reflected off her dress, but the opulence around her could not hide the feeling of emptiness she felt in her chest.

As she glided through the hall, glances were fixed on her, but not in the way she had expected. Sovieshu was no longer looking at her as before. His indifference was palpable, his attention focused on others, while he avoided her eyes. Rashta felt his presence fade, as if the very air around her had become thick and heavy.

It had been she who had provoked him to make the decision to divorce Navier to marry her, but now, he seemed completely distant. Everything had changed after Sovieshu had learned of Navier's marriage to Heinrey, the emperor of the neighboring Western Empire. The news of their marriage had hit Sovieshu with unexpected force, and since then, he had retreated into his own world, completely ignoring Rashta.

How had it come to this point? She had seen herself as the rightful wife, the one who would take the place of power, but now she was being ignored, relegated to a secondary role in the court game. The murmurs among the attendants only added to her discomfort.

Rashta clenched the wine glass in her hand, her fingers tense. All she had done for him, all she had sacrificed...What now? Was she just another object, replaceable, so easily forgotten?

A forced smile tugged at her lips as she watched Sovieshu, who was laughing animatedly with other nobles. Where was the man who had chosen her over Navier? The one who had promised her a place in his life? Now it seemed that the only place he held in her heart was oblivion.