One Night in Valeria - Chapter 26: Chapter 26
You are reading One Night in Valeria, Chapter 26: Chapter 26. Read more chapters of One Night in Valeria.
The envelope arrived at dawn.Thick. Black. Wax-sealed.
No return address.
Just her name in gold foil:
Miss Jessica Hale
Guest of Honor
Celeste found it on the studio doorstep and nearly dropped it when she saw the symbol etched on the wax a sleek “A.D.” in looping cursive.
“A.D. Atelier?” she whispered.
Jessica took the envelope slowly, her stomach already twisting.
Inside was a single card:
> “To rising stars and fading queens
Join us at the Winter Masquerade Gala.
This Friday. 9 PM.
The Solstice Court.”
> Your legacy awaits you, Miss Hale.
Dress boldly.
— A.D.
Celeste stared in disbelief. “This is a provocation.”
“No,” Jessica said, voice low. “It’s a challenge.”
Later that day, Liam stood at her side again, the two of them staring at the card under studio light.
“It’s a trap,” he said.
“Of course,” she answered.
“You shouldn’t go.”
“I have to.”
Liam’s jaw clenched. “Not alone.”
“I won’t be.”
Their eyes locked.
She hadn’t asked him.
He hadn’t offered.
But it was understood.
The Solstice Court was the oldest ballroom in Velaria rumored to have hosted kings, revolutions, and a single illegal wedding between a queen and a thief. It had been closed for years until August Hale resurrected it — just for this.
By the time Friday came, the entire city was whispering about the gala.
Everyone who was anyone would be there.
But no one knew the truth.
That the real battle wasn’t happening on the marble floor.
It was in the shadows behind it.
Jessica’s dress was unlike anything she had ever worn designed by her own hands in just three sleepless nights.
It was blood-red. Structured and sharp at the shoulders, with exposed boning down the sides like a corset half-undone. A long slit ran up one leg. Around the waist: black embroidery in the shape of broken chains.
She wore a matching red mask over her eyes.
Celeste gasped when she stepped out.
“You look like vengeance.”
“No,” Jessica said, smoothing the fabric. “I look like truth.”
The ballroom was gold and firelight. Crystal glasses. Laughing lies. The kind of night that felt like a dream carved out of nightmares.
Liam appeared beside her in a charcoal suit and simple black mask, his presence dark and magnetic.
No words passed between them.
They didn’t need any.
Everyone turned to look when they entered.
And across the floor, under a chandelier that pulsed like a heartbeat, August Hale watched them.
He was older now mid-forties, maybe older — wearing a pristine white mask and a smile far too smooth.
He lifted his glass when he saw her.
A silent toast.
A silent dare.
Jessica didn’t blink.
She turned to Liam.
“Let’s finish what they started.”
No return address.
Just her name in gold foil:
Miss Jessica Hale
Guest of Honor
Celeste found it on the studio doorstep and nearly dropped it when she saw the symbol etched on the wax a sleek “A.D.” in looping cursive.
“A.D. Atelier?” she whispered.
Jessica took the envelope slowly, her stomach already twisting.
Inside was a single card:
> “To rising stars and fading queens
Join us at the Winter Masquerade Gala.
This Friday. 9 PM.
The Solstice Court.”
> Your legacy awaits you, Miss Hale.
Dress boldly.
— A.D.
Celeste stared in disbelief. “This is a provocation.”
“No,” Jessica said, voice low. “It’s a challenge.”
Later that day, Liam stood at her side again, the two of them staring at the card under studio light.
“It’s a trap,” he said.
“Of course,” she answered.
“You shouldn’t go.”
“I have to.”
Liam’s jaw clenched. “Not alone.”
“I won’t be.”
Their eyes locked.
She hadn’t asked him.
He hadn’t offered.
But it was understood.
The Solstice Court was the oldest ballroom in Velaria rumored to have hosted kings, revolutions, and a single illegal wedding between a queen and a thief. It had been closed for years until August Hale resurrected it — just for this.
By the time Friday came, the entire city was whispering about the gala.
Everyone who was anyone would be there.
But no one knew the truth.
That the real battle wasn’t happening on the marble floor.
It was in the shadows behind it.
Jessica’s dress was unlike anything she had ever worn designed by her own hands in just three sleepless nights.
It was blood-red. Structured and sharp at the shoulders, with exposed boning down the sides like a corset half-undone. A long slit ran up one leg. Around the waist: black embroidery in the shape of broken chains.
She wore a matching red mask over her eyes.
Celeste gasped when she stepped out.
“You look like vengeance.”
“No,” Jessica said, smoothing the fabric. “I look like truth.”
The ballroom was gold and firelight. Crystal glasses. Laughing lies. The kind of night that felt like a dream carved out of nightmares.
Liam appeared beside her in a charcoal suit and simple black mask, his presence dark and magnetic.
No words passed between them.
They didn’t need any.
Everyone turned to look when they entered.
And across the floor, under a chandelier that pulsed like a heartbeat, August Hale watched them.
He was older now mid-forties, maybe older — wearing a pristine white mask and a smile far too smooth.
He lifted his glass when he saw her.
A silent toast.
A silent dare.
Jessica didn’t blink.
She turned to Liam.
“Let’s finish what they started.”
End of One Night in Valeria Chapter 26. Continue reading Chapter 27 or return to One Night in Valeria book page.