Daniel’s POV
The morning air was thick with unease. The palace buzzed with whispers, guards rushing in every direction, and a sense of tension I hadn’t felt since the first night I arrived in this world. I was in the kitchen, finishing preparations for the day, when a sharp, panicked voice cut through the hall.
“Her quarters… she’s gone!”
A palace maid was missing. My heart stopped. My stomach dropped. I froze mid-chop, knives hovering over vegetables I barely noticed anymore. The moment I realized what had happened, a cold dread ran down my spine. My mind raced—who could have taken her?
Then it hit me.
Maybe The Traffickers?
The men who had hunted Annabelle. The ones who had tried to end my life before I ever woke up in this body. Panic clawed at me. How had they found their way to
