Chapter 6

Damon

I looked at the girl in front of me, a sense of unease creeping up my spine. It was strange, almost like a distant memory clawing at the edge of my thoughts. My lips twitched, itching to tell them that I felt nothing for this girl in front of me, but I held back. I couldn't forget the way the woman's presence had felt that night, even though her face had been hidden by a mask.

This wasn't her – I could feel it in my bones. And yet, I wasn’t sure 100% and I need to be certain.

“Something wrong, your grace?” Matilde's voice cut through the silence, her question hanging in the air. I didn't answer right away. Instead, I reached out to trace the contours of the woman they presented as my Serena.

I closed my eyes, hoping to recapture that same inexplicable connection I had felt when I touched her that night. But it wasn't there. For some reason, the spark I felt that night had faded away.

Ashford, as perceptive as always, stepped forward. His words were directed at the servants su