Miranda had been charmed by Xavier from the very moment she met him through Carlo. It was after the royals had stripped her of everything—her status, her identity, her dignity—and her lover had abandoned her like she meant nothing. She had been left hollow, desperate to feel something, anything… until Xavier walked in, silent and composed like a storm held at bay.
He hadn't offered comfort, not in the way people usually did. No soft words. No promises. Just his presence—cold, distant, yet magnetic. He intrigued her. There was something about the way he carried himself, aloof and untouchable, that made her want to peel away the layers he kept hidden from the world.
She'd never tried to seduce him—not overtly. And yet, tonight, the way he was looking at her—eyes unreadable, posture still—she wondered if he could sense the thoughts unraveling inside her.
"Should we go to your chamber?" she asked softly, her voice brushing against the silence like silk.
