Karma excused herself gently, promising to arrange a meeting with the ladies from Paradise Orphanage. Their smiles were warm, their gratitude genuine, but she barely noticed them now. The weight of the room had shifted. Something ancient stirred in the air—like dust being unsettled from old relics. Beneath the chandeliers and laughter, something darker whispered beneath the surface.
Her steps were slow, deliberate, as she made her way to the edge of the ballroom. The heels pinched, the lights were too bright, and the air was too perfumed. She needed space, even if it was just the illusion of it.
But space was not what she got.
"You shouldn't have done that," Alphonse said, appearing beside her like a shadow stepping into form. His voice was quiet, but it carried the edge of steel, honed by centuries of control.
Karma didn't look at him. "Done what? Agreed to the meeting or saved your pride?"
Alphonse's jaw ticked. A muscle twitched near his temple. "That man is not human."
