Darian's POV
The study was quiet, filled only with the scratching of my pen and the occasional flicker of the lanterns. I had been reading reports and drafting letters all evening, trying to stay ahead of the mountain of bureaucracy that followed a King even into neutral territory. My eyes were starting to strain when I reached for the next parchment and froze.
The envelope bore the heavy gold-pressed emblem of the Southern royalty. It was a formal missive from my council of advisors back in the South. Goddess knows I didn't like them one bit. They were overbearing, controlling, and obsessed with bloodlines and tradition. If it weren't for the fact that the council had existed for as long as I could remember, I would have scrapped the whole institution years ago.
I broke the seal and b
