[color=FDF0CD][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/FRUTp4W.png[/img]
[h1][color=6B8E23]Shehzadi Ranya al-Kadir[/color][/h1][/center]

[color=6B8E23][b]Time:[/b][/color] Evening
[color=6B8E23][b]Location:[/b][/color] Grand Ballroom
[color=6B8E23][b]Outfit:[/b][/color] [url=https://i.imgur.com/W4eoaDB.png]Ranya’s Outfit[/url]
[color=6B8E23][b]Interactions:[/b][/color] [@RemRam] Askel [@InfiniteCosmos] Munir  [@AuthenticTomb] Aslam  [@Lava Alckon] Farim
[color=6B8E23][b]Mentions:[/b][/color] [@princess] Hafiz

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Askel’s lips brushed the back of her hand, warm and grounding—a gentle weight that pulled her back from the edge where Hafiz’s venom still lingered, bitter and cold in the air. Ranya’s laugh slipped out, soft and breathless, as the wine curled through her veins, turning the ballroom’s sharp corners into a hazy, golden dream. Her brothers had each played their part: Munir’s smile edged with hidden teeth, Aslam’s loyalty burning quietly at her side. But it was Askel’s easy defiance, his refusal to be cowed, that soothed the wildfire beneath her skin, letting her heat settle into something almost calm.

Farim’s teasing banter drifted over, light and familiar, promising mischief for later. Ranya’s emerald eyes caught the light, glinting with affectionate mischief of their own. She dipped her head in a parting nod, every movement deliberate and graceful, a silent farewell wrapped in silk and sunlight.

[color=6B8E23]“Oh, I do not think it counts as theft if the prize is entirely willing,”[/color] Ranya giggled, before she turned to her brothers. [color=6B8E23]“Do try not to drink the entire ballroom dry while we are gone. I should hate to have to carry you all back to the manor.”[/color]

She slipped her arm through Askel’s, letting him draw her away from her brothers and into the open sea of the dance floor. The Sorian orchestra’s music rose around them, bold and sweeping, building a golden wall that set them apart from the rest of the world—just the two of them, suspended in the hush between heartbeats.

As his hand settled at her waist and their bodies found the rhythm together, the careful mask she’d worn all evening began to crack, hairline fractures letting her true self flicker through. The wine loosened her, made her bold—she pressed closer than any rule of court would allow, her feet gliding over the polished floor as if she’d been born to this dance, to this moment.

[color=6B8E23]“Askel,”[/color] she whispered, her voice dropping below the roar of the strings, meant for him and him alone. Her green eyes looked up at him, bright and swimming with a sudden, fierce emotion. [color=6B8E23]“I am so sorry. I am sorry that he got to you before I could. I am sorry he dragged you into his wretched games and tainted our moment before it could even begin.”[/color]

She leaned in, just enough that the world narrowed to the space between them, her eyes burning as she fought back the tears that threatened to betray her. Her voice trembled, raw and honest, the last of her composure slipping away. [color=6B8E23]“I was a fool,”[/color] she confessed. [color=6B8E23]“When I first arrived and saw you across the room, my heart screamed to run straight to your arms. But I let the fear win. I let his threats anchor me to the shadows. I am so sick and tired of letting men like Hafiz dictate my every breath, keeping me caged like a beast in a menagerie while they barter with my life.”[/color]

She shifted, her movements fluid but edged with desperation, searching his eyes for the unbreakable safety she’d hungered for since that first, stolen moment when they danced in the tavern.

[color=6B8E23]“I should have trusted you could handle anything my family threw at you. I’m so sorry.”[/color][/color]