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CHAPTER THREE. BORN FROM A SINGLE GLANCE
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A month had passed since Anastasia had become engaged to the Duke.
The Duke wouldn't touch her or look at her with the slightest sign of adoration. Scratch that, the Duke wouldn't even look at her—not since the day she arrived at the castle. He always had something more important to occupy his time with, and it was never her.
His guards were the ones to tell her what the Duke wanted of her. It only infuriated her more, resulting in humiliation and the hurt of her pride. While she did not desire him, she could not tolerate being ignored by her fiancé and have it be 'he only paid attention to me the day we met' what defined her marriage.
Anastasia didn't think tonight would be any different.
The thing about tonight was that there was a ball. It was what Anastasia liked best about living here. There was at least one party weekly, the Molho family had the money to splurge. And it always was as if they tried to outshine the party before, an ongoing pattern.
During a revel, Anastasia could let loose. The night was filled with possibilities, the guests poured in from everywhere in the country and she could wear her prettiest gowns and dance with anyone she pleased—dance until her feet dropped, and she could drink as much as she wished (she did try to not go overboard). The Emperor had even shown once during one of the revels, they took him for a Saint—Henry II was his name.
Anastasia had few expectations for tonight. What else could change when the rest of her life had already been dictated? She was to look her best in one of her newer gowns—a dress the color of the night sky, a mix of darker shades of blue with silver detailing going down the middle. She had accessorized with a white headdress that matched her silky gloves. And of course, her diamonds could not be forgotten.
