“At this rate, General Vesper will be governing Ravencrest before you are crowned.”
Administrator Vale’s warning followed Evelyn into the palace courtyard.
The ceremony platform had been raised overnight.
Greyhaven silver covered the steps leading to the throne. The united crown waited beneath guard. Above it, workers prepared the poles that would carry Ravencrest’s captured standards.
Below the platform, three hundred Vesper veterans stood in formation.
Not one of them was kneeling.
A ceremonial officer walked between the ranks with a written protocol in his hand.
“Again,” he ordered. “At the crown signal, the first line lowers to one knee.”
No one moved.
The officer’s face reddened.
“General Vesper is not here to countermand the rehearsal.”
“She does not need to countermand an
