The first day of assessment began at sunrise.
Lady Anastasia woke me before dawn, already dressed, already composed.
“Today is observation,” she said as she pinned my hair into a style that apparently signaled “respectful but not presumptuous.” “You will attend three formal sessions, two private meetings, and one dinner. Every gesture will be evaluated.”
“By who?”
“Everyone.”
Comforting.
Ezra was waiting outside our chambers, already in formal attire. His expression was unreadable, but through the bond I felt his tension.
“They’re going to test you politically, not socially,” he said quietly as we walked. “Henrik wants to know whether you’ll be an extension of me or an independent force within Court.”
“I am both.”
“That’s what scares them.”
The first session was deceptively simpl
