The palace had become quieter since Kaelira’s wings began awakening.
No one spoke about it openly.
But everyone watched her.
Servants lowered their eyes when she passed.
Guards whispered after she was gone.
Some looked at her with hope.
Others looked at her with fear.
Kaelira was beginning to wonder which was worse.
Unable to bear the suffocating silence of the palace, she wandered into the royal gardens just before sunset.
It had become her refuge.
A place where no one expected her to be a queen.
Only Kaelira.
She stopped beside the lake, watching the ripples spread across the water.
“I thought I’d find you here.”
She didn’t need to turn around.
She recognized Darian’s voice immediately.
Darian walked toward her, his hands clasped behind his back.
For once, he wore neithe
