Chapter 47: The Quiet Reckoning
The palace loomed ahead like a scold. Its tall towers, once a comfort, now made Princess Arianna's stomach churn. The hooves of her mare clicked against the cobblestones with eerie rhythm, like a countdown.
"Rilla," Arianna said through clenched teeth, "how many times are you going to tell me he's angry?"
Her handmaid, perched awkwardly on her own horse, tried to smile but failed. "Until you stop pretending it doesn't matter."
"I'm not pretending anything."
"You're biting your lip so hard you'll bleed."
Arianna let go of it. "He can't prove anything. Not without—"
"Not without someone talking," Rilla finished grimly. "And you know how this court leaks secrets like a cracked barrel."
Arianna said nothing. Her hands were slick on the reins.
