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The Masquerade (3)
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2025-06-19 20:10:42Seraphina’s POV
The deeper the night sank, the more masks began to slip.
Not physically. No, the glamour held strong—faces hidden, voices veiled. But mannerisms relaxed. Deals grew looser. Greed bloomed bolder.
That was when the real ugliness began to show.
The temperature in the gallery hadn’t changed, but I felt cold.
It wasn’t the kind of cold that came from the air—it was the kind that started deep in the chest, behind the ribs, and spread out like frost over the heart.
Because now they were no longer trading artifacts.
Now they were trading people.
It began with Lot #96: a “utility-bound domestic” offered as part of a package alongside a minor hexed lantern and a nullification charm. The host’s voice didn’t waver. She presented the item as if it were as ordinary as a cloak clasp.
Only it wasn’t an item.
It was a girl.
Human. Thin. Maybe fiftee
Bab terbaru
The Last Moonbane Names and Faces
Seraphina’s POVThe auction was over.But the consequences hadn't even begun.Ambrosius and I returned through separate sigil gates, as we’d arrived. Not because we had to, but because it was safer that way—less traceable, less noticeable. The floating estate had vanished into clouds before I even looked back. And yet the image of it lingered in my mind like a stain that wouldn’t wash out.Especially the girl.Especially the voice.Back at Moonbane, Helena didn’t ask questions. She never did.But she watched me from across the long breakfast table the next morning, her teacup hovering just slightly off the saucer.“Trouble?” she asked eventually.“Not yet,” I said.But it was coming.I didn’t sleep that night, and not because of guilt.Guilt is a luxury for people who think they could’ve done more.I stayed up cataloging every detail I could recall. Every mask. Every bidder. Every item. Every transaction made with anything other than Lumenite. I listed symbols, seating placements, mic
The Last Moonbane The Masquerade (3)
Seraphina’s POVThe deeper the night sank, the more masks began to slip.Not physically. No, the glamour held strong—faces hidden, voices veiled. But mannerisms relaxed. Deals grew looser. Greed bloomed bolder.That was when the real ugliness began to show.The temperature in the gallery hadn’t changed, but I felt cold.It wasn’t the kind of cold that came from the air—it was the kind that started deep in the chest, behind the ribs, and spread out like frost over the heart.Because now they were no longer trading artifacts.Now they were trading people.It began with Lot #96: a “utility-bound domestic” offered as part of a package alongside a minor hexed lantern and a nullification charm. The host’s voice didn’t waver. She presented the item as if it were as ordinary as a cloak clasp.Only it wasn’t an item.It was a girl.Human. Thin. Maybe fiftee
The Last Moonbane The Masquerade (2)
Seraphina’s POVMy pulse spiked before I even saw what was inside.The auctioneer—or rather, the host representative, a woman with a voice layered in magic—unfolded the cloth.A pendant.Moonshadow stone.Raw-cut, encased in a frame of cold iron etched with archaic sigils.I felt it before I saw it. That subtle drag in the air. The sense of wrongness. It wasn’t just Moonshadow stone. It was Moonbane-forged.Ambrosius shifted slightly beside me.“You recognize it,” I whispered.“So do you.”I didn’t need to see the back of the pendant to know the mark would be there. The tri-moon crest. Faint, nearly rubbed out. But still there.And now it was here, in this place, being passed from one masked hand to another like some common bauble.My teeth ached from how tightly I clenched my jaw.“Do we bid?” I asked.“No,” Ambrosius said. “Not yet.”“Why not?”“Because the moment we sho
The Last Moonbane The Masquerade (1)
Seraphina’s POVIt had been a long time since I’d worn anything like this.The gown was sleek and black, made of layered fabrics so fine they almost seemed alive when I moved. It wasn’t ostentatious—Moonbane heirs didn’t wear gold filigree and embroidered dragons—but it was undeniably elegant. The kind of elegance that whispered rather than shouted.I stood before the tall mirror in my room, fastening the mask Ambrosius had sent.Dark opal. Smooth as ice. No decoration save for a thin silver outline along the upper edges—like a crescent moon tipped sideways. When I slid it over my face, the world narrowed and sharpened. My breath caught just a little.It wasn’t just a mask.It was a weapon.And tonight, it was mine.Ambrosius and I didn’t depart together.We arrived separately, on different routes, with false names pre-submitted to the invitation system. The auction was being held on neutral territory—neither Moonbane nor Riddle-owned. A floating estate in the clouds, anchored above a
The Last Moonbane A Pause in the Game
Seraphina’s POVThere’s a silence that settles after everything loud has ended.Not the comforting kind, but the kind that makes you realize how much was left unsaid.Final exams had concluded two days ago. As expected, both Stephen and I passed with top marks. The academy halls were finally quiet—tense with the hush of departure. Some students lingered for farewells, but most had already vanished into carriages, shadows, and portals.Stephen and I traveled back together to Moonbane Manor. Our arrival was understated. No grand fanfare, no lined-up staff. That was never our way. We didn’t need ceremony. The weight of the bloodline was ceremony enough.It had only been a year since I left for Loisage. And yet, as we passed through the long-shadowed courtyards and silent marble corridors, something in me tensed—as if I were a guest, not an heir. The stone paths, the high arches, the quiet moonlit chambers… they were unchanged.But I wasn’t.I had left this place as a daughter of legacy.
The Last Moonbane The Investigation (2)
Seraphina’s POVHer laugh was genuine. “Ambrosius is handsome, isn’t he?”“You talk about him more than I do,” I muttered.“Perhaps I simply enjoy his effect on you.”I rolled my eyes, but I let the topic drop.That was enough for now.Helena had confirmed what I needed: Moonshadow stones had once been ours—and still were, in great quantities. Other families had them, yes, but none possessed the volume or quality Moonbane did. What the Riddle family had seized was only a fraction, taken during a vulnerable moment in our history.But it was my family’s legacy nonetheless.Which led me back to her.Diantha.Because that ring she wore—the one she flaunted like some gaudy trophy—wasn’t just Moonshadow stone.It was Moonbane-crafted.I knew it the moment I saw the pattern etched beneath the setting. Three crescent moons and a silver wolf's tooth inlaid at the base. No merchant carried that sigil. No outsi
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