The palace walls were always alive with whispers. I should have known, by now, that nothing stays hidden here—not a glance, not a footstep, not even a single misstep.
I noticed her the moment she stepped into the palace courtyard, surrounded by attendants and admiration. She wore crimson like she owned the color, chin lifted, eyes sharp with entitlement. Every servant bowed deeper than necessary. Every noble straightened. She was important. Looks Powerful. And the servants greeted her and called her Lady Selena .
And the way her gaze snapped to me told me everything.
She didn’t like me.
Not because I had done anything to her—but because I existed.
“Who is that?” she asked one of the ladies-in-waiting, her voice deliberately loud as I passed with a tray of herbs.
The lady glanced at m
