The light had shifted by the time Selene woke again. It was no longer soft morning gold, but something brighter. Sunlight streamed through the tall windows in full, warming the stone walls and casting long, gentle patterns across the nursery floor. For a moment, she simply listened. The palace had changed its rhythm again.
Her daughter stirred awake against her chest. A small sound followed; a quiet coo, almost curious, as if she were testing the shape of the world she had entered. Selene smiled instantly, sleep falling away from her in a breath. “Well,” she murmured, brushing her thumb lightly over the baby’s cheek, “someone’s decided she’s done waiting.”
The baby’s fingers curled instinctively around hers, small but firm. Selene let out a quiet laugh. “You’re already demanding attentio
