Tension clung to the air like mist. The guards still stood at a distance. Kian's face had gone dark. Luca looked like he'd forgotten how to breathe. And Isabella?
Well, she was doing what she did best—pretending she wasn't about to faint from the anxiety of not knowing what was going on.
That's when it happened.
"Okay now, Isabella, what is the number one thing you know you're very good at?" Bubu's voice broke through the silence like an unexpected sneeze during a funeral. The little floating ball had been unusually quiet, hovering above her shoulder like a halo that ran on sarcasm instead of light. But now it swirled in a slow circle, glowing faintly as it posed the question with far too much seriousness.
Isabella blinked, startled, her gaze darting sideways at the system. "Huh?" she responded mentally, brows pulling together. "Being confident, obviously." She didn't even hesitate, flipping her imaginary hair in her mind like the queen she believed herself to be.
