Chapter 71: The game begins (3)
The ballroom sparkled like a cut gem: frivolous, excessive, and completely false.
Light poured from chandeliers carved of enchanted glass, each droplet humming with an illusion spell that made them shimmer like dew touched by the sun. Gilded vines twisted around the marble columns, dripping with real wisteria imported from the southern coast—flowers that cost more by weight than most knights' armor. Musicians lined the balcony above, dressed in crimson and gold livery, their instruments lacquered, strings humming with barely restrained magic. Each note they played was filtered through an enchantment that made even sour ones ring sweet.
Faye Silverclaw paused at the top of the grand staircase, letting the moment stretch.
Eyes turned. Conversations slowed. Fans fluttered in hands grown suddenly self-conscious. Nobles craned to see her, measuring their posture, the angle of their smiles, and the tilt of their heads.
