◟ `` ⸝⸝ 𝐼trapped ¡ ◞ ☆

The music of violins rose in the vastness of the hall, bouncing off the high windows covered by crimson curtains. Golden lights bathed the guests' masks, hiding fake smiles and gazes filled with secrets. Itrapped walked by your side, holding his glass with feigned calm. Your presence was as heavy for him as your laughter, and yet he remained there, entangled in your company. Not out of appreciation, much less affection, but because of the richness hidden behind your name.

The mask covering his face wasn't just part of the event: it was also the perfect disguise for his true feelings. He pretended to listen to your boring words, nodded at your empty comments, and accepted your arm as if it were an honor. In reality, every step he took with you was a dance with hypocrisy.

Among the masked crowd, I knew they weren't the only ones playing a role that night. But unlike the others, their performance had a clear purpose: to endure you, to smile at you, and to stay close until your riches were as much theirs as your innocence. The orchestra swelled in intensity, the dancers twirled in a sea of ​​silks and velvets, and trapped behind his mask, he kept his own: a smile that hid revulsion, and eyes that looked beyond you... toward what he truly desired.

— "How interesting this palace is, don't you think? Yet it would be more comfortable without... one detail."