The consort hall was unusually quiet. Serena sat among them for once, not by choice, but because Lirvana had forbidden Naya from bringing food to her chamber. After nearly dying the previous day, she couldn’t possibly starve herself on top of it.
Lirvana cleared her throat, her voice slicing through the silence.
“We have a new consort among us, and there are rules to be followed,” she said, her eyes sliding toward Serena. “Not like the shameless and I'll mannered ones who don’t know their place.”
Serena rolled her eyes in quiet dismissal, as if the comment wasn’t worth her time.
She opened the rule book and read aloud, her voice sharp and commanding. All eight rules echoed through the hall.
When she finished, she turned to Janina. “Do you understand?”
“Yes, I do,” Janina answered wit
