"She was glass on the outside, fire underneath."_Unknown
The sun had already risen high, soft gold spilling lazily across the stone-tiled balcony of Maeve's room when a gentle knock interrupted her silence.
Maeve sat up slowly, the cool weight of her reality folding back over her shoulders.
"Come in," she said, her voice still thick with sleep.
The door creaked open to reveal Noelle, dressed neatly in the house colors—black and cream. She had a polite but genuine smile on her face.
"Good morning, Mrs. Gazdanov," she said with a slight bow.
Maeve blinked. It still sounded foreign. Wrong. "Just Maeve," she replied softly.
Noelle gave her a nod. "Of course. You must be exhausted. I didn't want to disturb you earlier, but I was told to give you a proper tour today, if you're ready."
"I am," Maeve said, though her body wasn't sure if that was true. But there was no use staying locked in a room that didn't quite feel like hers yet.
She dressed herself in one of the softest gowns she could find in her newly furnished wardrobe—a pale pink maxi dress made of breathable cotton. It fit her form without clinging too tightly, the frayed off-shoulder sleeves brushing her skin like whispers. Her hair was left down, the wolf-cut layers swaying at her waist like soft, controlled chaos.
Noelle met her with quiet approval and began the silent tour of royalty.
The mansion was impossibly vast.
First was the main dining hall—a long, dark cherry table polished to an impossible shine, with at least twenty velvet chairs flanking it. The chandelier above glittered like falling stars, and though it looked untouched by time, something about the silence in the room told Maeve it hadn't seen warmth in years.
Then came the garden, where ivy draped like poetry over stone walls, and blooms in every hue whispered in the breeze.
"You have your own garden," Noelle said as they walked. "Each member of the family does. Yours is just beyond the east wing."
Maeve blinked. "Even Levi?"
Noelle nodded. "Of course. But his is... off-limits. Always has been."
She said it casually, but the weight behind it was very obvious.
They continued—through sitting rooms gilded with ancient oil paintings, to the private library, where Maeve's breath caught in her throat.
Floor-to-ceiling shelves lined every wall, filled with worn spines and gold-leafed titles. There were ladders, velvet chairs tucked into corners, and windows so tall they nearly touched the ceiling.
She took slow steps inside, reverent like walking into a sacred space.
"You like to read?" Noelle asked, watching her face.
Maeve's answer was quiet. "It's the only way I ever knew how to live."
Noelle didn't speak again, only offered a soft smile and gave her time to take it in.
Then came the gym, the indoor spa, a few guest wings, and finally, the corridors that led to Levi's quarters—though they didn't enter.
"He doesn't like being disturbed," Noelle said. "But should he summon you, you'd be informed."
Maeve nodded silently.
By the end of the tour, her legs were beginning to ache, but her mind was spinning faster. It was too much. Too perfect. Too controlled. Every corner of this house felt like a masquerade, dressed in crystal and marble, while everyone inside it wore invisible masks.
---
Elsewhere.
Levi adjusted the cuffs of his suit in the blackened mirror of an abandoned hall—the meeting place for the underground council.
The room was dim, lit only by a central chandelier that cast sharp shadows across the floor like cracked glass. Around him stood men and women dressed in black, some with scars, others with power in their eyes. They were silent as Levi entered—waiting. Judging.
He took his place at the head of the long table, his glasses low on his nose, gaze unreadable.
"I know why you called this meeting," he began, voice smooth but slow—like the tip of a dagger before it sliced.
"Word travels fast," one of them said. "About your bride."
Levi tilted his head. "Then let me say it once: it was my decision. And unless any of you would like to come forward and dispute it..." He looked around. "...you'd do well to remember who I am."
Silence.
No one moved.
"I don't need your approval. But I do require your obedience. You work under my name. And my name now includes a wife. The matter is closed."
He didn't wait for a response.
The meeting ended before it began.
---
Later that evening.
The mansion glowed like a cold moon against the horizon when Levi returned. Anton greeted him at the gates, rattling off the updates.
"There's nothing urgent left today, sir. Maeve has been taken care of."
Levi barely nodded.
A wife. Right.
His steps didn't turn toward her wing, nor did his thoughts. He went instead to his study, where the fireplace waited like an old, trusted beast. He lit it himself. Sat in the leather chair. Removed his glasses and leaned his head back.
He didn't wonder what she was doing.
He didn't ask if she'd settled in.
He simply closed his eyes, and for a few moments, let silence wrap around him like it always did—dark, clean, and detached.