Chapter 4
The Locket's Lure
Elara finds herself increasingly drawn to Prince Valerius's dreamlike world. His romantic gestures make her heart flutter, but Liam’s steady presence offers a different kind of comfort.
My fingers traced the cool, intricate filigree of the locket, a familiar tremor running through me. It was a curious thing, this antique bauble, a portal to a world so vibrant, so utterly unlike my own quiet existence. Just the other day, I’d been elbow-deep in overdue notices and the faint scent of aging paper, my most thrilling encounter being a particularly stubborn jam on the photocopier. Now, I was… well, I was practically living a historical romance novel, albeit one where the hero occasionally tripped over his own velvet slippers.
Prince Valerius. Even his name was a symphony. He was all dashing smiles and earnest pronouncements, his eyes the colour of a twilight sky, a shade I’d only ever encountered in the faded ink of ancient manuscripts. He’d declared his undying affection under a canopy of moonlit roses, his hand hovering, ever so slightly, over his heart. It was, I’d admit with a blush that would have made even the most scandalous duchess proud, utterly enchanting. He’d even presented me with a single