Elena
The palace had grown quieter tonight, the usual distant chatter of servants and the rhythmic steps of patrolling guards seeming more muted than usual. The air carried a weight, an unspoken tension that sent a prickle of unease down my spine.
Something had shifted.
I walked with my usual measured steps, careful not to let my thoughts show on my face. I had spent too many years perfecting my composure to let suspicion slip through now. And yet, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched more closely than before.
Had the Queen figured something out?
That thought alone made my stomach tighten.
She had been different at dinner tonight. I had caught her watching me more than once, her gaze sharp, assessing. There had been no outright hostility, but her presence had carried
