"It feels like an eternity since I attended something like this." Amael spoke under his breath, though Miranda heard him. He stood beside her with his hands in his pockets, looking out over the hall.
Guests filled nearly every part of it. Noblemen and noblewomen moved between groups, stopping to exchange greetings or lingering over conversations that showed no sign of ending. Light fell across floors and bright gowns. Beneath the music, Amael could hear laughter, the clink of glasses, and the murmur of people trying to speak over one another without appearing to raise their voices.
He had once been used to evenings like this. Now he felt as though he were remembering them from a distance.
"Is that so?" Miranda asked.
"Yeah." His gaze followed a pair of guests as they crossed the hall. "The last one might have been the party for my engagement to Aurora."
Miranda's expression changed. "I wasn't there."
Amael turned toward her, surprised for an instant. Then he remembered.
