The Dance of Poisons in Asteria

​POV: Lady Elena Lorraine

​The first rule of survival in the capital, Asteria, was simple: Believe nothing of what you hear, and only half of what you see.

​Lady Elena Lorraine stood in the corner of the Great Hall of the Glass Palace, watching hundreds of nobles swirling in a waltz to the tunes of the royal orchestra. Beneath her golden peacock mask, her eyes moved with chilling detachment, dismantling every fake smile and every whisper exchanged behind glasses of aged wine.

​The scent of luxurious perfumes hung heavy in the air, but it was not enough to mask the stench of fear and greed emanating from the lords of the Empire. Tonight was the "Winter Solstice" gala, the night everyone renewed their allegiance to the Emperor—or so it was supposed to be.

​The Encounter on the Cold Balcony

​To escape the stifling heat and the false pleasantries, Elena quietly slipped out onto the marble balcony of the palace. As the biting cold of the winter air enveloped her, she noticed a shadow standing at the edge of the terrace. He was a towering figure, wearing a heavy cloak of black wolf fur, his face hidden behind a silver mask shaped like a snarling bear. He did not wear silk or velvet like the rest of the attendees, but rather a dark leather tunic that smelled of pine and metal.

​Elena spoke in a quiet tone as she approached him:

"The capital's atmosphere does not suit you, Lord Valdor, does it?"

​The man turned slowly. It was Arik Valdor, heir to the mountainous North. His sharp gray eyes met hers through the mask, and he spoke with a voice as rough as the wind howling through rocks:

"I would rather face a pack of starving wolves in a blizzard than stand in a room full of silk-clad vipers, Lady Lorraine."

​Elena offered a cold smile, stepping closer to rest her hands on the gold-gilded railing of the balcony:

"Vipers only bite if you step on their tails, Lord Arik. In Asteria, we do not use swords to sever heads... Words here are sharper than steel."

​Arik leaned in, lowering his voice in warning:

"Words do not protect the borders from the creatures of darkness crawling from the East. Your Emperor feasts here, while my men bleed in the snow."

​The Fall of the Crown

​Before Elena could reply, their conversation was cut short by a booming sound. A massive brass bell rang in the center of the hall, and the music came to a sudden halt. Elena and Arik turned toward the interior.

​The elderly Emperor Lothar stood on his royal balcony overlooking the hall, wearing his ruby-encrusted crown. He raised a golden goblet high, and a hush fell over the crowd.

​The Emperor shouted, his voice tired but brimming with pride:

"To Altaria! An empire that shall never fall, and a peace that shall never break!"

​The nobles echoed in unison: "To Altaria!", raising their glasses.

​The Emperor took a sip from his goblet and smiled. But in the very next second, his smile froze. His eyes widened in sheer terror, and the golden cup slipped from his grasp, shattering against the marble floor with a terrifying echo in the silent hall.

​The Emperor staggered backward, clutching his throat as he choked. He fell to his knees, coughing violently, until suddenly, a stream of black blood poured from his mouth, staining his white cape. His body convulsed for a few fleeting seconds before he collapsed on his face... a lifeless corpse.

​A horrifying scream erupted from the Empress, and chaos engulfed the hall. Nobles pushed and shoved, and the masks fell.

​The Commander of the Royal Guard bellowed with a voice that shook the palace walls:

"Bar the doors! No one leaves! The killer is among us!"

​The resounding clangs of the massive iron doors slamming shut echoed through the Glass Palace. Out on the balcony, Elena stood rooted to the spot, feeling a chill course through her veins far colder than the winter air. She looked at Arik Valdor and saw that his hand had instinctively moved to the spot where his sword was supposed to be.

​They looked at each other in silence; the northern warrior and the cunning daughter of the capital. Both realized one terrifying truth: The political games were over, the war of blood had just begun, and they were now trapped with the Emperor's murderer.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***