By the time we finally rolled into the capital, my body was crying for a spa, my hair smelled faintly of fried chicken, and my mood was at rock-bottom sass levels.
But the second I saw the city, all the complaints lodged in my throat.
It was… massive.
The capital sprawled out like a glittering beast, all shining glass towers and sprawling plazas. Cars zipped everywhere, banners flapped in the breeze, and in the center—like some impossible jewel—stood the castle.
Huge. Majestic. Absolutely terrifying.
Its spires stabbed the sky like the crown of a god, walls carved in pale stone that glowed under the sun. Every inch screamed power, wealth, and the very real fact that I was about to step into a world where one wrong curtsy could get me tossed into a dungeon.
I pressed my face to the wi
