The first sunlight bled gently into the castle corridors, slipping between stained glass windows and scattering colors across the cold marble floors. Servants moved silently, sweeping halls and lighting lanterns, trying not to disturb the morning hush that still clung to the stone.Adrian stood at his window, the seal of the letter still burning in his hand.It had arrived just before dawn delivered not by a guard or messenger, but by an unseen hand. No footsteps. No door creaked. Just a folded parchment on his study desk, weighted with a single black stone. The message had only four words:“Come alone. East Wing"Signed beneath it, a familiar scrawl: L.He didn’t need to ask which L. Only one person in this castle was bold enough to summon a king like that. And only one who knew which words would guarantee his silence.Leona.He dressed without a word, fastening the collar of his shirt with slightly trembling fingers. Evelyn had been up before him, feeding Caelum and braiding Elara’

The room was dark except for the flickering light of a single lamp. Adrian sat at the edge of the bed, elbows on his knees, staring at the floor like it held the answers to all his troubles. His thoughts weren’t in the room. They were far, far back…...to the battlefield.The air was thick with smoke and blood that day. He remembered falling Damien’s sword slashing across his ribs, pain exploding like fire. He had thought it was the end. His hands trembled as he reached for a weapon he couldn’t find. Then a shadow moved. Fast. Sharp. Leona. Her blade pierced Damien’s side.“You owe me your life " she had whispered after pinning him down, her blade pressed to his throat, breathless and wild-eyed. “If you survive, I want what’s mine"And through the blur of pain, he had gasped out, “If I live... you’ll have anything you want"That promise.That reckless, desperate promise.Adrian clenched his fists now, the memory bitter on his tongue.Leona waited in the same private garden where he ha

The courtyard fell silent, as if the very air had thickened with tension. Adrian’s eyes widened as Leona’s words sliced through the chatter of the festival, hanging heavy in the air like a storm cloud waiting to burst.“How long do we pretend Evelyn is the only Queen… when the throne was bought with deceit and malice?”The gasps rippled through the crowd like a wave crashing against the shore. Faces turned, whispers spread, and every pair of eyes in the kingdom seemed to lock onto Evelyn and Adrian.Evelyn froze.Her heart stopped for a split second as she processed what had been said. The blood drained from her face. She looked down at the cobblestone ground beneath her feet as her hands slowly clenched into fists.Adrian, at first, stood in shock, eyes darting between Leona and Evelyn. But before anyone could react, he moved swiftly too swiftly grabbing Leona by the arm and pulling her aside. He was furious, his face a storm cloud of rage.“What the hell is wrong with you?!” he hiss

The sun hung lazily in the midday sky as the capital came to life with the bustling activity of merchants and townsfolk moving through the cobblestone streets. The noise of the city was like a familiar hum a steady rhythm of the day. But beneath the everyday commotion, something darker stirred.It started as a whisper. A small conversation between two women in the market square. One had a letter, folded in half, worn at the edges from being passed between friends. As it was read aloud, the words jumped from one person to another. The letter spoke of promises promises made by Adrian, long ago, to the woman who had risked everything for him.“Leona, future queen. Bound by a promise. The kingdom will bow"And that was all it took. One piece of paper with a few carefully chosen words to unravel the peace that had been so hard won.By midday, rumors spread like wildfire.In the taverns, patrons huddled in corners, murmuring about Leona’s rise to power. They spoke of her beauty, her cunning

Adrian’s head throbbed with a thousand thoughts, each one sharp, relentless. The council meeting had done nothing to ease the storm inside him. Discussions about the kingdom, about Leona’s claim, about Evelyn’s growing anger all of it mixed into a whirlpool of frustration and confusion. The more he tried to focus, the more his mind scattered, like sand slipping through his fingers.By the time the meeting had ended, the castle seemed to close in around him. The walls felt too narrow, the hallways too long. His breath was shallow, chest tight, and the only thing that made sense to him now was the sharp burn of alcohol.Adrian walked through the hallways of the palace, his steps quick, almost frantic, until he found his way to the war room. The door creaked open, and the familiar scent of wood and parchment hit him. The room was empty his place of solitude when his thoughts became too much. He didn’t care about the documents scattered across the table, the maps, the unfinished plans for