“As you command, Heir.”
The words lingered, heavy and absolute, like they had been carved into the marrow of the air.
My chest tightened. I should have felt relief. Power. Vindication. But instead, I felt the sting of something else—responsibility. My throat was dry. Every heartbeat carried the same reminder: they weren’t asking me. They weren’t choosing me. This was bound, inevitable, written in blood that was older than my name.
Behind me, Mira’s breath caught. Her fingers clutched my sleeve before she let go, as if touching me in that moment burned. Kelvin muttered something under his breath again, though his voice had no strength left in it—just awe, just unease. The sisters didn’t dare speak.
And for a moment, I didn’t either.
Because my eyes had caught something else.
Not in th
