Night draped its silken curtain over Valtoria Palace as Lucien lay awake in his bedchamber. Outside his window, the soft glow of lanterns cast dancing patterns on the courtyard below, and the distant murmur of the city whispered through the open casement. Yet sleep refused him. Each second stretched into minutes, and each minute into hours, as his mind raced with the weight of the coming day—his wedding day.
He turned onto his back, staring at the frescoed ceiling above. Painted figures of Avaloria's ancient gods and Veridia's legendary heroes gazed down, their expressions distant yet expectant. Lucien pressed a hand to his chest and felt the rapid drum of his heart. Tomorrow, he would stand before two kingdoms, pledge his life to another man, and step into a role that had been scripted long before he drew his first breath.
