Selene’s POV
The palace was quieter than it had any right to be. Servants hurried about their duties, but there was tension in the air, subtle and almost imperceptible if you didn’t know where to look. I moved through the corridors like I always did, careful not to draw attention, letting the rhythm of the palace life guide me while I observed the people who were supposed to be invisible.
I had spent hours the past few days mapping the palace hierarchy in my head, memorizing who reported to whom, who moved supplies, who answered to Nyra directly, and who had enough independence to notice irregularities. By now, everything connected. Talia’s disappearance, Mira’s constant surveillance of Elodie, the servants’ nervous glances—all of it pointed to one inevitable truth: someone inside the p
