Thalia’s POV:
The room was quiet—too quiet.
After the chaos, the cliff, and the unintentional crash landing into a literal royal carriage, the silence inside the guest chamber they’d placed me in felt... unnatural. It was the kind of quiet that clung like a held breath, like the castle itself was waiting for me to slip up.
I was barely clean. My face scrubbed raw, my hair damp and slicked back. The princess’s maids had worked quickly and silently, leaving behind a simple pale blue gown with delicate silver embroidery. It clung just enough to reveal curves I’d rather not show.
Pregnancy was a secret I had no intention of spilling.
Not yet.
A soft knock at the door made me flinch. My muscles were still coiled like a cornered animal, even if the space was safe.
Safer.
“Miss Thalia?
