Daniel’s POV
It all started with silence.
Not the tense, suffocating silence of the palace corridors, nor the fearful hush that followed Arthur wherever he went—but a quieter one. A calm that settled between us like a fragile truce.
After the Royal contest were finally extinguished and the guests drowned the night in music and wine, Arthur didn’t dismiss me as he usually did. Instead, he said simply, “Walk with me.”
It wasn’t a request.
We left the noise behind, moving through torchlight paths that curved toward the palace gardens. The air was cool, carrying the scent of crushed grass and distant smoke. I walked half a step behind him out of habit, my heart still racing from the day’s chaos…even though I had won.
“You adapted quickly,” he said at last.
I nodded. “I had no choice.”
