TWO CENTURIES AGO…
The suffocating embrace of expectation weighed heavily upon my shoulders as I gazed out the window of my father's study. Beyond the meticulously manicured gardens and high stone walls lay a world I yearned to explore, yet was forbidden to touch. Such was the life of Oak Perseus, heir apparent to the Duchy of Harrington.
I sighed, my breath fogging the glass, as I listened to my father's stern voice droning on about the responsibilities that awaited me. The same lecture I'd heard a thousand times before. I'd much rather be outside, doing much more important things than training I would never truly need in my lifetime.
"Oak, are you listening to me?" Father's sharp tone cut through my reverie.
I turned, forcing my face into a mask of attentiveness. "Yes, Father. You
