The Ceremony Preparation
Serenye's POV
The palace maids descended on me like a flock of birds at dawn, their hands efficient and impersonal as they prepared me for the ceremony. I sat in front of the ornate mirror in my room, watching my reflection transform into someone I barely recognized.
"Head still," one of the older maids commanded, yanking my hair back hard enough to make my eyes water.
I obeyed silently, my stomach churning with nausea that had nothing to do with their rough handling. Tonight. It was happening tonight. After months of planning, years of waiting, a lifetime of hatred, tonight I would finally complete my mission.
Tonight, I would poison Sebastian Wolfe.
My hand drifted unconsciously to my thigh, where the vial was strapped beneath layers of silk and tulle. The
