The rain didn't just drum; it hammered, a relentless, rhythmic assault on the glass that mirrored the erosion of Seraphina's soul.
Inside the Queen's Solar, the fire was a pathetic, flickering thing, struggling against the damp chill that seemed to seep from the very stones of the castle.
Seraphina sat before a mountain of parchment.
Petitions.
Pleas.
Lies wrapped in flowery language from nobles who would sell their mothers for a sliver of royal favor.
She didn't read them. She stared at the ink, watching it blur.
The doors burst open. No knock.
No announcement.
King Lodrick.
He didn't apologize.
He didn't greet her.
He walked to the sideboard, the heavy crystal decanter clinking as he poured himself wine with a casual entitlement that made her stomach turn.
"What do you wa
