After my dance with Cecilia, I shared the floor with Seraphina, Rachel, and Rose, in that order. Cecilia chose to remain at the edge of the hall, content to watch rather than take another turn or dance with anyone else. Her gaze never left me, a quiet sort of possessiveness radiating from her as she sipped from a delicate glass.
Seraphina, as always, was different. Where Rachel and Cecilia exuded boldness—or to be frank, a relentless flirtatious energy that bordered on insatiable—Seraphina was quieter, her demeanor less fiery but no less compelling. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy our more intimate moments; she did. But she approached them with a sense of grace and restraint that contrasted starkly with the other two.
Her crystalline blue eyes met mine, steady and calm. The shadow of her brother Sun no longer loomed over her, and the difference was palpable. Where there had once been an undercurrent of tension, there was now serenity, a confidence that had been absent before.
