63

Seraphina’s POV

The news of Sophia’s ascension to the role of Luna of the Shadow City spread through the air like wildfire, echoing in the grand chambers of the manor. As the whispers reached my ears, a surge of anger and resentment ignited within me. My fingers clenched around the delicate emerald that had been handed to me by a trembling maid, and before I could stop myself, the gem shattered in my grasp. The maid gasped, sinking to her knees in fear, and I could feel the weight of my fury pulsating in the air around us.

My face must have been a canvas of discontent, jealousy, and unwillingness. The truth was, I had coveted Alexander's affection for as long as I could remember, longing to stand at his side as his luna, his confidante, his wife. But now, as I stared at the broken shards of the emerald, I felt as shattered as the gem itself.

The emerald, a token of his supposed affection, lay in fragments at my feet, a mirror of the fragments of my own shattered dreams. It was a remin