Elara stood before the ornate double doors, her heart pounding with a mixture of nerves and trepidation. Beyond these gilded portals lay the grand dining hall, where she would face her first true test as Queen of Nocturn.
A formal dinner party, Lydia had informed her earlier that evening. The vampire elite, gathered to formally welcome their new monarch. Elara had spent hours preparing, carefully selecting a gown of shimmering crimson and gold that seemed to shift and dance like living fire. Her golden hair had been woven into an intricate coronet, studded with jet-black gemstones that caught the flickering candlelight.
Yet despite her regal appearance, Elara felt anything but confident. Nocturn's customs were still a mystery to her, and the thought of facing a room full of ancient, powerful vampires made her stomach twist with anxiety.
