The limousine glided smoothly through the wide avenues of the imperial capital, like a serpent of luxury weaving through the wealthy neighborhoods under the golden light of late afternoon.
Luna was relaxed in the backseat, one leg crossed over the other, idly scrolling through her phone's notifications.
Beside her, Victória was enjoying a glass of French mineral water with thin slices of enchanted lemon, always impeccable as if she had just stepped off the cover of Imperial Vogue.
"So…" Victoria began. "You still don't know about the boring part of my month, do you?"
Luna arched an eyebrow, the silvery-gray glow in her eyes reflecting the outside lights. "Annoying like... inheritance tax? Paparazzi? Or another jerk CEO wanting to be a 'strategic partner' just to propose?"
Victoria laughed, but it was a dry laugh. "Worse. My father sent me to the New York Gala at the end of the month."
"New York Gala? The one you sent me a message from?" Luna straightened slightly. "With presidents, tycoons, royalty, and… that dessert buffet with edible gold?"
Victoria nodded with a bitter expression. "That's right. And I can't refuse. According to him, my fiancé will be there."
Silence.
Luna blinked. "Wait... your what?!"
Victoria turned her face to the window for a second, as if trying to escape the moment.
Then he sighed and looked at Luna with that look typical of someone who's given up fighting the system years ago. "Fiance. That's it. A business arrangement. He's the son of the president of a European banking consortium. Our wedding has been 'planned' since I was twelve."
"Wow," Luna blurted out, genuinely shocked. "And here I thought the worst thing about the day was the manager smelling of cheap perfume earlier."
Victória let out a soft laugh, her eyes still sad. "Dad thinks it's a 'visionary' merger movement. As if I were a dowry with legs. The truth is, the guy is handsome, but... insufferable. He speaks Latin at breakfast and thinks NFTs are a superior form of art."
Luna bit her lower lip, unable to contain her good-natured indignation. "Okay, that was the saddest and funniest thing I've heard today. You want me to go to the gala with you and pretend to be your secret lover and cause an international scandal?"
Victória stared at Luna for a moment and then laughed out loud. "You're chaos incarnate, you know that?"
"Is that a compliment?" Luna blinked.
"In my vocabulary, yes."
The car passed through a hanging garden, and for a few seconds the interior of the limousine was filled with the orange light of dusk.
Luna looked out the window, her face relaxed, but a hint of reflection appeared in her gray eyes.
She turned to Victoria. "You know... sometimes I complain about Matthew being a slow jerk, but... at least no one trapped me in a corporate marriage. I have freedom. And that... is priceless."
Victória smiled with a hint of sincere envy, but without resentment. "Enjoy it, Luna. There are those who would give billions for the chance to simply choose to love... or not to love."
The black limousine slid to a stop before the gates of Malroth Manor. As soon as the door opened, Luna and Victoria stepped out, and the gentle breeze seemed coordinated by a stage wind AI: just enough to flutter their hair dramatically.
Before they could take two steps, a servant came walking over calmly, holding the key to the Ferrari Luna had used earlier.
"Miss Malroth, your vehicle has already been sanitized, fueled with refined fuel, and polished with nanotechnology," he said, as if it were the most common thing in the world.
"Thanks. Park in Garage 3," Luna replied casually, taking the key between her fingers.
Victoria was too busy looking at the mansion itself, or rather, the architectural epic before her.
His eyes swept over the main entrance: a wide avenue made of marble polished like liquid glass, reflecting the afternoon sky like a living baroque painting. Side fountains gushed translucent water, shimmering like liquid crystal, and seemed to whisper something in Old French.
"Okay... this isn't a mansion. This is a declaration of war against humility," Victoria commented, her eyes widening.
Luna just smiled, her arms crossed under her bust, observing the effect her property caused.
Further on, ornamental statues carved with such perfection that they seemed to have been made by artists who would have easily sold their souls just to complete the work. Some represented mythological figures, others stylized versions of Luna herself.
The green fields stretched in every direction, trimmed with surgical precision. Meticulously pruned trees formed living floral labyrinths, perfuming the air with sweet, fresh notes of imperial lavender and violet jasmine.
And in the center of it all… a colossal artificial lake, with edges of cut crystal. The surface mirrored the sky so perfectly that Victoria swore she saw an angel yawning. Inside, carp swam so large they could be forced to file a tax return.
But that wasn't all.
"Yeah... three pools?" Victoria asked, already a little dizzy. "Really?"
Luna pointed with an elegant gesture. "An Olympic-sized one, to maintain the athleticism. Dark background, infinity edge, tiles made of moonstone."
The second was covered, heated, with a retractable glass roof and shaped like a giant harp. Real stringed instruments hung from the ceiling, and an AI played soft melodies to the movement of the water.
And the third…
"Okay, this is bullshit," Victoria muttered, looking at the sparkling pool, rimmed with rainbow LED lights that flashed to the beat of the ambient playlist.
Luna just shrugged as if to say, "Yeah, so what?"
Further ahead, a helipad with automatic night lighting, a multi-story underground garage with a turntable, a private golf course, a mini open-air theater with Viennese opera acoustics... and then.
"Is this a… zoo?" Victoria pointed.
"No, it's my Zen garden. Japanese," Luna said proudly. "The albino peacocks strolling around are part of the ambiance. The garden's AI plays the shakuhachi at dusk."
Victoria stood still, trying to absorb everything, her eyes darting between the peacocks, the theater, and the sky already turning orange.
"Not even the Lancaster ancestral mansion has this level of… of… spectacle. My father would be green with envy."
Luna laughed. "Then bring him to dinner. Maybe he'll learn not to underestimate someone who once went hungry and now controls billions."
Victoria slowly turned her face, staring at Luna with a sparkle in her eyes.
Luna looked at her mansion with an expression that mixed pride and a hint of silent loneliness.
The two walked into the mansion, crossing the main hall.
"You're going to rock the New York Gala, Luna," Victoria said with a mischievous smile. "But please... don't turn the party into a battleground with Matthew, okay?"
"No promises," Luna said, walking up the stairs with that lazy waddle.
Victoria watched Luna walk away, her golden hair swaying gently with each elegant step, as if the entire world obeyed her rhythm. It was impossible not to admire her.
"This way, Miss Lancaster," said a white-gloved servant, giving a slight, discreet bow.
Victoria followed the man down one of the mansion's side corridors. They rode a silent, mirrored elevator up and stopped before a pair of black wooden doors with silver accents.
"Your guest room," said the servant, pushing one of the doors open reverently.
The interior was breathtaking. A room as large as Victoria's penthouse in the capital. The vaulted ceiling glittered with artificial stars, and the scent of Himalayan flowers hung in the air, so subtle only an AI could have perfectly balanced it.
Victoria walked to the adjoining bathroom, where a white marble tub lay filled, foaming calmly, with blue rose petals floating on the surface and soft lighting tinging the edges gold. She entered with a deep sigh, sinking to her shoulders and closing her eyes.
"Not even the imperial suite in Dubai has this peace..."
After long, relaxing minutes of soaking, she emerged from the water, dried herself with fluffy towels, and donned the robe already hanging there, embroidered with the initials VL in gold thread. A detail that made her smile.
"Miss Lancaster," a female voice said as she opened the door slightly. It was a smiling maid. "There are clean clothes in the closet next door. Miss Luna asked me to make sure you had comfortable options."
Victoria nodded, curious. She went over and opened the closet door and…
"..."
She stopped. She froze.
The closet was a temple. Clothes organized by color, style, and occasion. Fine fabrics from tailoring houses that had refused to accept new customers for years. Exclusive dresses. Enchanted silk blouses. Suits with meticulously tailored cuts. Pieces that Victória tried to buy in person and was denied—for lack of "waiting status."
She reached out, touching a cobalt blue blouse she'd always wanted. She almost cried. It was as if someone had opened the doors to a world she'd never been able to access, even with all her power.
With slightly teary eyes, she controlled herself, took a deep breath, and finally chose something modest: an oversized satin cotton shirt with soft, form-fitting sweatpants. Comfortable, yet still elegantly cut.
When she looked in the mirror, Victoria was about to smile... but her cell phone rang.
Personalized touch.
She didn't even need to look. It was her father.
"Yes, Daddy?" she answered, still standing in front of the mirror.
The man's voice came, cold and efficient as ever. "Victoria. I hope you're resting. Remember: the gala in New York will be decisive. Your fiancé will be there. Prepare yourself. The alliances between the families depend on it."
She pressed her lips together. "I know."
"Good. Don't disappoint me."
Without even a "goodbye." The line went dead.
Victoria stood still for a few seconds, her cell phone dangling in her hand. Her watery eyes were now streaming with silent tears, while frustration built up in her throat like wet concrete.
A trapped sigh.
An invisible prison.
She wiped her hands across her eyes, wiping away any trace of weakness.
As he turned to leave, he heard the light knock on the door and the familiar voice.
"Victóóóóóóriaaaa, come quickly! I made hot chocolate with enchanted marshmallows!" it was Luna, calling from the hallway.
Victoria took a deep breath, smiled with effort, and answered loudly, "I'm coming! And I'm going to take the clothes from the closet, okay? Consider yourself robbed!"
Luna responded with a laugh. "Take it all, woman! Consider it a welcome gift to the Chaos of Freedom!"
Victoria left the room still discreetly wiping her eyes, the smile on her face firmer now.