The Silence and The Storm: Chapter 9

One second, Evelyne was standing in the garden. 

The next, everything was gone. 

The ground vanished beneath her feet. The wind roared in her ears. The stars blinked out like someone had blown out the whole sky. Her heart pounded. She reached for something — anything — but there was only light. Blinding, golden, endless light. 

Where am I?! she thought. What did I just do?! 

Then, as quickly as it had started, the world stopped spinning. 

She was standing still. 

The air was warm again, but it wasn’t the garden. It wasn’t night. It wasn’t even outdoors. 

It was a ballroom. 

Huge, glowing chandeliers sparkled from the ceiling. Marble floors stretched far in every direction. Music floated gently through the air — delicate strings, steady drums, the kind of music that sounded like it belonged to another world. 

All around her, people in shining gowns and jewel-covered suits were staring. 

Not whispering. Not laughing. 

Just staring. 

Evelyne looked down at herself. 

Her dress wasn’t hers. It was a deep sapphire blue, smooth and glowing like moonlight on water. Silver embroidery shimmered along the edges like tiny stars. She touched the fabric slowly. 

This isn’t a disguise, she thought. It’s… me. Somehow. 

She felt the button, still there — tucked somewhere within the folds of the gown. Warm. Steady. 

Then the world shifted again — not the room, but her vision. 

She looked at the people in the ballroom… and saw more than faces. 

A lady smiling — but underneath it, a tired sadness. 

A nobleman laughing too loudly — but his eyes were sharp with fear. 

A servant carrying drinks — scared, but pretending to be invisible. 

The truth, Evelyne thought, her heart thudding. I can see it now. 

And across the room, watching her closely… was the Prince.