The first rays of dawn broke over Verauno, casting a warm golden light across the castle walls and the sprawling city below. It was quiet in the early hours, the kind of stillness that felt like a deep breath before a new beginning. And in many ways, it was.
I stood on the balcony, the cool morning air brushing against my skin as I looked out over the kingdom. The city was waking slowly, its streets bathed in soft light, the echoes of laughter and conversation faint but growing. This was Verauno—my home, my responsibility.
Beside me, Asher leaned against the railing, his dark eyes scanning the horizon. He looked more relaxed than I’d seen him in weeks, though the faint tension in his shoulders told me he was still carrying the weight of what lay ahead.
“You’re up early,” he said, his v
