Daniel’s POV
I knew I shouldn’t have stepped out of the palace.
The thought came too late—only after my foot sneaked and crossed beyond the palace gates and the guards’ voices faded behind me. I pulled my hood lower over my head and forced myself to breathe calmly as I entered the crowded marketplace.
I told myself it would be quick.
Just a few herbs.
Just a few things I couldn’t find in the palace gardens—roots with sharp scents, leaves with bitter oils, seeds that reminded me of home. Things that tasted like the future. Things that helped me feel sane.
The market was loud and alive. Merchants shouted prices. Children ran between stalls. Horses snorted and stamped their hooves. The smell of roasted meat mixed with spices and dust.
I kept my head down in my disguise.
Every sound fe
