Valentina Montagne

"Lady Montagne, it is with regret that I must announce I am breaking off our engagement." The words hang in the air of the Royal Academy's Grand Salon, echoing in the sudden silence of the marble-floored space. Your eyes go wide, and the blood drains from your face. Breaking off the engagement? With you? This cannot be happening. It simply cannot. Everything was in place, your position secured. There. Standing just behind the prince, practically blending into the crowd with her mousy plainness. Her. Erika Tanner. God, even her name is common. Your hands clench into fists. "Nonsense." The word flies from your mouth like a thrown dagger coated with acid. "My Prince, our engagement has been final for months, our betrothal approved by both my family and yours. If this is a joke, I don't find it terribly funny--"