"A crown is not just a symbol. It is a burden, a promise, and a test of one’s soul. Today, I take my place—not as a pawn, not as an afterthought, but as a ruler."
The Dawn of Change
The halls of Verauno’s palace had never been so silent.
Not even after the war, not even in the nights when the kingdom bled. There had always been whispers, movements in the dark, the kind of hushed unrest that never truly died.
But today, there was something different.
Something heavier.
Something final.
I stood before the large mirror in my chambers, my fingers trailing over the embroidered sleeves of my ceremonial gown. The fabric was stitched with silver threads, flowing like rivers of moonlight down my arms. It was beautiful. Regal.
And yet, I felt like a specter standing in my own reflection.
A
