I let the moment linger.
The weight of it.
The tension that crackled in the air, thick as a storm waiting to break.
Then, slowly, I turned my gaze back to the Duke, meeting his golden eyes without the slightest hesitation. There was fury in them, tightly leashed, restrained only by the discipline of a man who had spent years mastering control.
And then—
I turned to her.
To Madeleina.
She had not moved. Not an inch. But I could see it.
The way her fingers curled slightly against the fabric of her dress. The way her breath remained measured, too carefully even. The way her gaze locked onto me, unwavering, but no longer out of pure defiance.
There was something else.
Something simmering just beneath the surface.
I smirked.
