Lust

ARES’S POV

Slowly, the event started to break up, and guests began to exit the hall, some in pairs and others alone.

I scanned the crowd, searching for Jeremy and Uncle Lawrence, but only James caught my eye, and I recalled Uncle Lawrence telling me he had an emergency to attend to, so he had left even before I was about to get poisoned. I motioned for James to come closer.

"Where's Jeremy?" I asked, my voice tense.

"He's somewhere outside. It's hard to gauge the guests' mood right now. They seem shocked, perhaps even angry," James replied, his voice filled with uncertainty.

I know exactly what mood I was in, I thought to myself, dismissing James. I stood in silence, observing the remaining guests as they departed. Anger coursed through my veins for two distinct reasons. First, the obvious one: an anonymous individual or group had attempted to kill me and, in the process, sabotaged my coronation. Another part of me simmered with frustration over the brief confrontation between Dahlia