Chapter 22 The Girl Behind The Mask
Isabella’s POV
꧁𓃙𓃠𓃥𓃚꧂
I stood in the center of my ruined room, staring at the torn dress still lying in a heap on the floor. My chest felt tight, and even though Leon had ordered a new one… a small part of me wondered if anything—anything at all—would go right today.
A knock sounded on my door.
But this time, it wasn’t loud or angry.
It was soft. Professional.
“Your gown has arrived, my lady,” a woman announced.
My heart skipped.
The door opened and three palace maids carried in a long box covered in white silk. Behind them walked a tall woman dressed in black, carrying a toolkit that rattled with pins, brushes and scissors.
The woman bowed slightly.
“My name is Rina. His Majesty assigned me as your private stylist for the wedding.”
Private stylist.
For a maid.
I swallowed hard, confused. “I—I can get ready myself—”
“You have thirty minutes,” Rina said calmly. “Then His Majesty expects you at the palace gates.”
Thirty minutes.
She didn’t wait for permission. She simply motioned for the maids to open the box.
And when they did…
My breath left my body.
The gown was gold.
Not pale gold.
Not soft, faded gold.
But a glowing, warm, molten gold that shimmered like sunlight on water.
It was simple—no heavy beads, no dramatic sleeves—just smooth silk that fell like liquid. The bodice was fitted, the skirt flowing and quiet. Elegant. Nothing loud. Nothing flashy.
A gown that spoke softly but still made everyone look twice.
Beside it sat a new mask.
Gold as well, but carved with smooth lines that made it look almost delicate. No gemstones. Just simple beauty.
My throat tightened. “I… this is too much—”
Rina cut me off. “Stand straight.”
Before I could breathe, she started.
Maids moved behind me, undoing the laces of the dress I was wearing. Rina brushed my hair with quick, sure movements, her fingers working like she’d been trained by the gods of hairstyling themselves. She plaited small sections, twisted others, and used golden pins to fasten the style.
“You’re pulling too tight—” I winced.
“You’ll survive,” she said, not unkindly. “Royal events require sacrifice.”
Thirty minutes passed in a blur.
When she lifted the gown and helped me step into it, my skin shivered at the soft touch of the silk. It felt like something stolen from a queen’s closet.
Not a maid’s.
Definitely not mine.
Rina adjusted the waist, smoothed the skirt and stepped back.
“Mask,” she ordered.
A maid placed it gently against my face, tying the ribbon behind my head. The mask was light, almost weightless.
“Look,” Rina said.
I turned toward the mirror.
And gasped.
I didn’t look like Isabella the maid.
I didn’t even look like Isabella the Luna.
I looked… different.
Hidden.
Dangerous.
A woman who didn’t belong to any world.
Rina studied me with a small nod. “You will do.”
I blinked. “Do?”
“For a King’s companion? Yes. You will do fine.”
I felt heat rise to my cheeks. “I’m not his—”
“Go,” she said, cutting me off. “He hates waiting.”
I walked out of my room with shaky legs. The gown swished quietly around my ankles. Every step felt unreal. Like I was pretending to be someone I’d never become.
The hallway was crowded with guards and a few palace staff.
All of them froze the moment they saw me.
I heard whispers.
“Is that… her?”
“She looks like—”
“No way, she’s just a—”
“She looks like a Luna…”
The last part wasn’t whispered.
It was spoken by accident.
By a maid.
A maid who instantly slapped her hand over her mouth, eyes wide with horror.
Leon, who stood at the end of the hall, turned his head slowly.
His golden eyes locked on the maid.
The girl shook so hard her legs trembled.
“I—I d-didn’t mean—”
Leon didn’t say a word.
He didn’t need to.
His gaze alone was enough to shut the entire hallway up.
Then, slowly… almost reluctantly… he turned toward me.
For a moment—just a second—he didn’t move.
He didn’t blink.
He just stared.
His eyes swept across the gown, then the mask, then the way the silk hugged my waist.
I couldn’t breathe.
He looked… startled.
Not by the dress.
By me.
And then something unreadable flickered in his eyes—gone before I could name it.
He cleared his throat. “Follow me.”
That was it.
No praise.
No reaction.
Nothing.
Still, his voice sounded deeper than usual.
He turned sharply and began walking. I followed behind him, careful not to trip on the gown. My heart hammered so loudly I felt sure the whole palace could hear it.
Guards opened the palace doors for us.
The sunlight hit me, warm and bright.
Carriages lined the grand entrance, polished and ready. The one at the center—Leon’s—was massive, carved with black designs and trimmed in red.
Leon gestured toward it. “Inside.”
I climbed in carefully, the skirt pooling around me like gold water. Leon sat across from me, elbows resting on his knees, gaze fixed out the window.
We didn’t speak for a long moment.
The carriage door closed.
The horses stomped.
The wheels turned.
We began to move.
Only then did Leon finally look at me.
His eyes lingered on the mask first. Then drifted downward. Then up again.
“You will stay beside me the entire time,” he said quietly. “Do you understand?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“You will speak to no one unless I permit it.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“You will not remove the mask. At any moment. For any reason.”
I swallowed. “I won’t.”
Leon leaned back slightly.
“Good.”
But something was off.
His posture was relaxed, but his jaw was tight. His eyes kept drifting to me… then away… then back again. Like he didn’t know where to place them.
Finally, he asked:
“Does the gown feel comfortable?”
I blinked. “It’s… it’s perfect.”
He nodded once, sharply. “Good.”
Silence returned, thick and full of unspoken questions.
Why did he arrange all this?
Why did he personally get involved?
Why did he look… almost uneasy?
And most of all—
Why did my heart beat so loudly when he looked at me?
I forced those thoughts away.
Focus.
Survive.
Find information.
Return home someday... for war!
Leon suddenly spoke again. “If anything happens today, stay behind me.”
Something warm fluttered in my chest—but I crushed it instantly.
He only wanted control.
He didn’t care.
Still… hearing him say it made something inside me soften, even when I didn’t want it to.
He looked away quickly, as if he regretted speaking at all.
Outside, the palace gates opened.
The world beyond Redmoon stretched before us.
We were officially on our way…
To Evergreen.
To Clara.
To Edmund.
To the pack where I had been Luna, mother, wife… and where I had lost everything.
A cold shiver ran through me.
Leon noticed.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing,” I whispered.
He stared at me for a long moment… then said quietly:
“This day will be long. Stay close.”
My fingers curled around the silk of my gown.
Stay close?
As if I had a choice.
The carriage rolled on, carrying us toward a wedding I wasn’t ready to face… and a past I wasn’t ready to confront.
But there was no turning back now.