The next academic year rolled around, and Gabrielle finally took her seat as the president of the council, stepping into that role with an air of quiet authority that made it feel almost like she'd been born for it. She'd already handpicked every single person she wanted at her side, crafting the council exactly how she'd envisioned it.
Watching from the outside, I felt... strangely relieved that my name wasn't on that list. Looking at them all standing there with them all being confident, sharp-eyed, and clearly talented, it really hit me just how badly I'd have stuck out among them, like a dull stone in a pile of polished gems.
And then, among those names, my eyes landed on someone all too familiar.
My fiancé.
Well, fiancé only by arrangement. Something decided quietly by our parents behind closed doors, not something I'd asked for—or wanted, really.
