"There's a woman at the gate asking for you by name."
The guard's voice pulled me back from the balcony rail, from the last warmth of the sunset still lingering behind Lucien's shoulder.
"What name," I asked.
"Elena Kingsley," the guard said. "Not Reyes. Not De Villiers. She used your old name specifically."
Lucien's hand tightened around mine. "Did she say who she was."
"She wouldn't give a name," the guard said. "Only that she served your family years ago, and that she has something you'll want to see before you decide whether today was actually the ending everyone believes it was."
Something cold settled low in my stomach. "Bring her to the main hall. I'll meet her there."
"Elena," Lucien said, his voice careful. "We've had enough strangers arrive at gates carrying secrets meant
