NARINE'S POINT OF VIEW
Two weeks after the announcement.
The weight of the kingdom's announcement still lingered in the air like smoke. The masquerade. The hunt for the next queen. The rumors. The whispers. The stupid, glittery flyers plastered all over the city like hope could be advertised.
The bell above the café door jingled one last time as the final customer left. Cold air followed them out, curling around the back of my neck and making me shiver as the rain hammered on. Then it was silent. Just the hum of the espresso machine and Yuren flipping the sign to closed, drawing the blinds halfway.
I stood at the same table I'd been wiping for the past ten minutes, moving the cloth in a slow, useless circle while my mind floated somewhere far away. My mind wasn't here. It hadn't been a
