Much later on….
I didn't sleep that night.
Not a single second.
Jesse's words repeated in my mind like a pulse I couldn't quiet. "For you? Yes."
I sat by the window until dawn crept across the sky, golden and silent. The warmth meant nothing. I felt cold to my bones. The world outside the palace was stirring to life, but inside me, something was breaking.
I rose as the first bell of the day echoed through the palace walls. My boots hit the ground with purpose. I didn't bother braiding my hair or straightening my tunic. I just walked fast, determined. past the guards, through the endless white halls, toward the one man who had the answers.
The King.
Two royal guards stood at his chamber door. One flinched when he saw me. The other bowed slightly but moved to block my path.
"He is still eating—"
"Let me through," I said, my voice low and firm. "It's very urgent."
The taller guard hesitated, sniffed the air, then opened the door.
