She can open the door. Can he trust her?
Aelia
House Luxar has given Aelia access Arion desperately needs. It has also taught her what her family expects in return. As they grow closer, the space between protecting him and obeying her House becomes harder to live in.
Aelia knows the advantages of belonging to House Luxar: access, influence, people who listen when her name is spoken. Beside Arion, she begins to feel the other side of that privilege. An opened door can leave a record. A kindness can carry an obligation.
At the ball, there is room for awkwardness, play and a dance that matters because both of them want it. Beyond that moment, her family's expectations keep pressing in. The closer Arion comes, the harder it becomes to separate what she wants from what she has been taught to do.
Aelia has information that can change more lives than her own. Using it means confronting the House that has shaped her—and deciding what she is prepared to let Arion know about her part in his story.
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