By nightfall, the castle had changed.
The halls were still crowded.
The guards still stood at every entrance.
The servants still moved from room to room.
But something felt different.
Everyone was watching everyone.
And nobody trusted anyone.
I stood beside the window in Kael's study, staring at the courtyard below.
Six people.
Only six people could use the royal seal.
One of them had helped create the accusation against me.
Maybe more than one.
I hated the thought.
Kael stood behind his desk, reading the same document for what felt like the hundredth time.
Across from him sat his closest adviser, Lord Adrian.
He had served Kael for years.
He was older, calm, and usually impossible to rattle.
Tonight, however, his fingers kept tapping against the arm of his chair.
Just on
