Rowan's POV
I stepped into the capital, the cold wind cutting through my coat as the familiar weight of the place settled on my shoulders, heavy and unyielding, men waiting for me in the courtyard, their black uniforms crisp, faces blank with practiced obedience, one bowing low, voice formal.
“Your Highness, the carriage is ready to take you to the king's mansion.”
I nodded once, not speaking, because words felt pointless here, every syllable measured, every glance calculated.
I followed them across the stone, the echo of my boots loud in the silence, each step reminding me of the authority supposed to rest on my shoulders, the crown I never asked for, the throne that had always felt like a cage.
I climbed into the carriage, the door closing behind me with a soft thud, the interior d
