Chapter 21
Elara’s POV
The throne room shimmered with polished marble and gold, but beneath the gleam was rot. I felt it the moment the tall doors groaned open and I stepped into the cavernous hall at Lucien’s side. The eyes of the nobility—sharp, calculating, hungry—pierced me from every angle, weighing, dissecting, already dismissing.
I stood straighter. If they expected me to cower, they’d be disappointed.
“Presenting His Majesty, King Lucien of Eryndor, and his ward, Lady Elara.”
The herald’s voice rang like a blade across the chamber. Whispers rippled, soft but cutting, and though I couldn’t hear all the words, I caught enough—bastard… stranger… commoner… why her?
Heat flared beneath my skin. My fists wanted to clench, but I remembered what Captain Serenya had drilled into me du
