~79 MOON CEREMONY

Dorian Grimaldi.

My eyes shifted toward the crowd, scanning the sea of faces until they settled on my mother, Lady Maurie Grimaldi. She stood there, regal and composed, her countenance giving away nothing of her inner thoughts.

But I knew her all too well. A sliver of apprehension slid down my spine as I recalled the conversation we had just last night. Mother had summoned me to her private chambers, an urgent and foreboding request that I couldn't ignore. The memory now resurfaced, mingling with the palpable tension of the present moment.

As I stood among the onlookers, the echoes of my mother's words reverberated in my mind, each syllable etched deeply into my consciousness. She had spoken with a mixture of authority and concern, her voice tinged with a subtle edge of manipulation.

"Dorian," she had begun, her tone measured yet laced with an underlying urgency. "I implore you, reconsider your decision regarding Eden. Lenora is the woman you should be with. She is the one who can sec