Luckita’s POV
It was an uncomfortable stillness, the one that settled on the palace the next morning. I woke up on a thin mattress laid out in a bare room with tall, narrow windows that let in a grey wash of light. A guard stood at my door, rigid, like a statue carved from irritation.
I didn’t sleep.
Not really.
Every time I closed my eyes, flashes struck me like thrown stones. I could see shadows dragging me, voices accusing me, a woman screaming she’s innocent, and my own heartbeat pounding so violently it felt like someone else’s memory. The more I tried to chase the images, the faster they broke apart.
By dawn, my head was aching.
The door opened with a steel groan as a warrior I hadn’t seen before stepped in.
“You. The king wants you.” He spoke with the tone of someone sent on
