THE HEIR OF STORMS | Garrick Tavis

Chapter 24

The silence of the room was only broken by the soft sound of red velvet sliding over my skin as I adjusted the dress. It clung to my body like a second skin, and the X-shaped opening on my stomach revealed Azhar's relic, glowing with a subtle, almost living light. My eyes examined the reflection in the mirror. Despite its boldness, the dress gave me a sense of power – something I had needed to hide for so long.

Violet was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching my every move, a distant expression on her face.

"I don't know why we have to celebrate this," she murmured, her voice heavy with bitterness. "There's nothing to celebrate."

I stayed silent but looked at her through the mirror, encouraging her to continue. Violet sighed.

"It's like celebrating my brother's death." Violet's voice faltered, and I felt the weight of her words.

I nodded, understanding far more than I could say aloud. For me, this day also carried a heavy burden. The day was a symbol of my usurped throne, of ingratitude.

Violet sighed again, her eyes fixed on a point beyond us. "They make me wear this," she said, lightly pulling at the fabric of her dress. "Smile and pretend everything's fine. But how can it be? How can it be, when the price was so high? Even my mom will be there. How can she celebrate her own son's death?"

I wished I could offer some comfort, but the weight of my own pain kept me from speaking. I turned to her and offered a look I hoped would convey understanding, something stronger than any words I could find.

"I understand," I murmured, knowing my words were barely a whisper.

Violet looked at me with sadness, offering a faint smile. "Sorry."

I shook my head, because there was no reason for her to apologize. Violet didn't know the truth about her mother, didn't know what those people were hiding.

Before we could say more, there was a knock at the door. Liam appeared, with a handsome smile, his shirt revealing the relic on his arm. I could hardly believe he was actually going to that damned party. That Xaden had made him go.

"Ready?" he asked, his eyes scanning the room before landing on me, surprised. "Wow. Well, it's time to go."

I glanced at the mirror one last time, adjusting the hem of the dress. Then I took Violet's hand, cold to the touch. Together, we followed Liam to the hall, leaving behind the burdens we carried as we prepared to face a night of masks and forced smiles.

We descended the stairs arm in arm, Liam in the middle like our protector. I had come to believe that, at some point, Liam had grown to like it, being our bodyguard – and yes, he had stopped hiding the fact that Xaden and Garrick had ordered him to protect both of us, not just Violet.

The hall was crowded, the sound of music floated in the air, and the murmur of conversations masked the tension lurking behind every smile. I knew the king was there, knew it would be hard to avoid him. After all, it was Reunification Day, the day of his greatest glory. He would be in some privileged corner, surrounded by the highest honors and the biggest bodyguards, sitting as if he deserved his throne. My throne.

Violet, beside me, kept her expression controlled. In a way, we were united in that silent pain, even if for different reasons. Both of us avoided looking around, so as not to risk meeting the leadership.

"Are you okay?" she murmured, glancing at me from the corner of her eye.

I nodded, not trusting my voice. There wasn't much to say that wouldn't make things worse.

"Illy! Don't tell me you're going to spend the whole night with that funeral face."

Ridoc appeared out of nowhere, as always, with a carefree smile and that light-hearted way he had of dealing with everything. Before I could protest, he had already grabbed my hand, disentangling me from Liam's arm and pulling me toward the dance floor.