Chapter 48
"Thank you, Martha. You can just leave it right there," I said, gesturing toward the table.
She gave a polite bow, placed the parcel carefully beside my half-written letter, and quietly glided out of the room.
I turned back to my paper. I stared at the lines I'd written for a long moment.
Then I stared some more. Since I had absolutely zero clues on how normal people filled up entire pages in letters without sounding like a total freak, I finally dropped the pen and looked at the mysterious package instead.
Curiosity won. Obviously.
I picked it up, inspected the wrapping for a few seconds, and tore it open. Inside was yet another package, and a neatly folded letter.
I grabbed the note first. The handwriting was so perfectly neat and elegant it made my chicken-scratch look like a crime scene.
Dear Cassie,
I hope you are doing well. I haven't been able to visit the Tower lately as I have been completely occupied with preparations for the upcoming ball at the palace.
I would very much like you to attend. Enclosed is a small gift from me to my pretty little sister.
I look forward to seeing you. The invitation contains all the details regarding the time and theme of the event.
Yours truly,
Lysenne.
I unfolded the official invitation. The royal ball was scheduled for two days from now, starting at exactly six-thirty in the evening.
Then I turned my attention to the second package. I peeled back the layers of protective paper, and my brain completely ceased to function.
It was a gown.
I just stared at it. The dress was silver-and not just regular old grey-silver, but it had actual presence.
It literally looked like someone had captured actual moonlight and spun it into fabric.
The material slid through my fingers like water, shimmering softly every single time it caught the light.
Tiny, delicate gemstones were embroidered all across the skirt in intricate patterns.
They looked like a cluster of scattered stars, glimmering with the slightest movement.
It was beautiful. Like, dangerously, ridiculously beautiful.
Tucked right beside the fabric lay a matching necklace and a pair of long, dangling earrings. Both were set with diamonds that looked incredibly refined, elegant, and unquestionably, terrifyingly expensive.
Yeah, this wasn't just a dress. This was an entire financial investment.
"...Oh my god," I muttered.
There are rare moments in life when my internal sarcasm engine completely fails me. This was one of them.
I looked back down at the golden-trimmed invitation. A royal ball. Judging by how stressed Lysenne had looked earlier and how much prep was going into it, this was a massive deal.
A ball...
Why on earth did that word trigger a massive alarm bell in my head?
I frowned, tapping my chin. A ball. A royal gala. A grand palace event.
I blinked. Then I sat bolt upright so fast the letter almost flew off my lap.
Wait a damn minute.
A royal ball. It was a major plot point in the original novel.
According to the script of that disaster story, it was during a royal ball where Rhaevan-driven by his dark, brooding, obsessive tendencies-was supposed to literally kidnap Lysenne.
I stared at the invitation. Then at the blindingly gorgeous dress. Then back at the invitation.
No way. That couldn't possibly happen now. Right? I mean, modern-day Rhaevan and Lysenne were practically best friends who hung out and shared casual laughs on balconies. He barely needed to resort to kidnapping just to spend quality time with her.
Suddenly, a strange, highly unpleasant tightening sensation stirred deep in my chest. I shoved it down and chose to completely ignore it.
That wasn't the real problem here.
The actual problem was my track record. Whenever my Amanda-brain remembered a specific event from the original storyline, things had a terrible, inevitable habit of going completely off the rails.
I looked at the silver invitation one last time. Something about this timing felt... off. Incredibly off.
And in my experience, whenever my instincts started sounding alarm sirens, it usually meant a massive wave of trouble was already packing its bags and heading straight for me.