The palace inspection arrived the next morning. Three royal carriages rolled through the front gates of the Vale estate beneath gray skies while servants hurried nervously through the halls preparing for guests no one truly wanted there.
Kaelira stood beside the staircase watching silently as palace officials entered the estate one by one dressed in dark silver uniforms bearing the imperial crest. Everything about it felt wrong. Too formal, too intentional and threatening.
Liana stepped closer beside her and lowered her voice carefully. “They’ve already questioned the kitchen staff.”
Kaelira’s fingers tightened slightly against the railing. “About what?”
“They didn’t say directly.” Liana hesitated. “But they asked whether unusual visitors had been arriving lately.”
Kaelira’s heartbea
