As Valine stepped out of her room, she found Dimitri waiting for her in the hallway. His eyes widened imperceptibly as he took in her appearance, but he quickly masked his surprise with his usual cold and impassive demeanor.

"Ready to go?" he asked in his usual firm and commanding tone, trying to ignore her beauty.

Valine nodded confidently. "Yes, I am," she replied, doing her best to hide the flutter of nerves in her stomach.

Dimitri turned on his heel, signaling for her to follow him. Along the way, he kept his gaze straight ahead, refusing to let his guard down and show any emotion.

Valine couldn't help but...