Selene didn't look away from Dafne until one of the servants approached to show her the way inside the palace. Her expression returned to perfect control, as if that brief discomfort had never existed. She walked among the guards with flawless posture.
Dafne watched in silence while Lina gave her a light tap on the arm to keep her working.
"Don't stare at her like that," Lina whispered nervously. "She's the future Empress."
"I noticed," Dafne replied quietly, lifting the tray again. "Though she doesn't seem very happy to be here."
Lina looked at her as if she'd just said something dangerous.
"Don't say that."
Dafne didn't respond, but the comment kept turning over in her head as she continued her work. There was something about Selene that didn't match the perfection she tried to project — a minimal tension in the way she squeezed her fingers when she thought no one was watching.
Selene's tour ended in the private hall where Emperor Hazem was already waiting. The atmosphere inside was quieter than the rest of the palace, with guards at every entrance and servants positioned far enough away not to overhear private conversations. Hazem stood beside a table, reviewing documents without hurry, as if the arrival of the future Empress didn't alter his routine in the slightest.
Selene entered with a firm step.
"Hazem," she said softly, as if the name carried a different meaning when it left her mouth.
He raised his eyes only as much as necessary.
"Selene."
She advanced without waiting for an invitation, closing the distance between them with confidence. She stopped in front of him and studied him with an expression that tried to be warm, almost intimate, but failed to break through the emperor's coldness.
"I have waited for this day for a long time," Selene said. "Finally, everything is in its place."
Hazem set the documents on the table.
"Not yet."
Selene frowned slightly.
"Not yet?"
"The Moon Goddess's approval will take place in one month, on the full moon."
Selene's expression shifted for barely a second — enough for someone attentive to notice — but she regained control immediately.
"You don't need that test," she said with a soft smile. "I'm already here. I'm your betrothed. I'm the one chosen."
Hazem watched her in silence.
That silence was more uncomfortable than any response.
"You're the betrothed by the Imperial Mage's decision," he replied at last. "Not by the Goddess."
Selene took a step closer.
"That Mage confirmed the bond. He said so himself."
"And he's dead," Hazem replied without changing his tone. "I executed him for lying to me."
The air in the room went taut. Selene froze.
"What?"
Hazem regarded her calmly.
"I found out too late that his information was wrong. The engagement had already been announced — the court accepted it before learning the truth. Canceling it now would only create unnecessary political instability."
Selene tightened her hands slightly against her dress.
"Then all you have to do is acknowledge the bond. Everything will be simpler if you accept that I'm your Luna."
Hazem tilted his head slightly.
"I feel nothing from you."
Silence fell again, heavier this time. Selene held her expression, but her eyes showed a minimal shift.
"That doesn't mean anything. Some Alphas take time to recognize the bond. We can resolve it."
"There's nothing to recognize."
She breathed slowly.
"We can mark each other if necessary. The bond will stabilize after that."
Hazem studied her for a few seconds longer than normal.
"Don't try to force something that doesn't exist."
Selene took another step, more insistent this time.
"I'm the only logical option. My family has influence, the court supports me, everyone expects this union."
Hazem cut her off.
"If you were my Luna, you wouldn't need to convince me."
Selene fell silent again, but this time her expression lost some of its initial confidence.
Hazem moved slightly closer — just enough for his presence to fill the space between them.
"And if I discover you're using this engagement to hide something, no family influence will protect you."
Selene looked up quickly.
"I'm not hiding anything."
Hazem held her gaze without looking away.
"Then you shouldn't be nervous."
The air between them grew heavier.
Selene forced a smile.
"I only want this to work, Hazem."
He didn't respond.
That lack of response unsettled her more than any direct threat would have.
In another part of the palace, far from that encounter, Roxy Edevane walked the corridors of the imperial research wing with a set of documents under her arm. She was the new Mage assigned to the palace after the execution of the previous Imperial Mage, and though most people still didn't trust her, her skill was undeniable.
She stopped in front of a locked door where old records were stored.
"Back again," one of the assistants muttered. "Nobody checks those archives."
Roxy ignored him as she opened the door.
Inside, the air was drier, filled with parchments organized on tall shelves. She moved without hurry, reviewing information on Omegas who had been purchased for the palace. There were thousands, but she used her ability to find just one.
She found an incomplete record.
A report on an Omega registered as a palace servant since childhood.
Dafne.
Roxy frowned slightly as she read.
"Here it is," she murmured.
She tucked the parchment away and left the archive with a more serious expression.
Meanwhile, in the imperial hall, the encounter between Hazem and Selene continued in a tense silence that neither seemed willing to break first.
Selene breathed slowly before speaking again.
"You shouldn't go through with that test before the Moon Goddess."
Hazem watched her.
"I will."
"It's not necessary. You already know who I am."
"I want confirmation."
Selene pressed her lips together.
"That will only cause problems."
Hazem tilted his head slightly.
"Why?"
The tone was simple, direct. Selene took a second to respond.
"Because there's no reason to doubt me."
Hazem looked at her with a calm that wouldn't yield.
"I don't sense your scent."
That sentence made her go rigid for an instant.
"Bonds can vary," she replied quickly. "They aren't always immediate."
Hazem's expression didn't change.
"Then the Goddess will confirm it."
Selene stepped closer, with less confidence this time.
"If you do that, the court will start doubting our union."
"The court doesn't decide."
"But it could become a political problem."
Hazem watched her in silence for a few seconds.
Then he spoke.
"If you're worried about politics, you should be worried about the truth."
Selene lowered her gaze for barely an instant before holding it again.
"You don't need to do this."
Hazem stepped back, widening the distance she had tried to close.
"If you're truly my Luna, you have nothing to fear."
Selene didn't respond. And in that silence, it was clear that something about this did not suit her at all.
Hazem left the hall without looking back. And without knowing exactly why, before reaching the main corridor, he gave one of the guards an unexpected order.
"I want the servant Dafne in the service hall tonight."
The guard blinked.
"Pardon, Your Majesty?"
Hazem didn't stop.
"No delays."
And he kept walking. Without explanation and without clear reason.
Only with that same strange feeling he'd been ignoring for too long every time that Omega was near.
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