First message
You’re dragged back into the throne room—bruised, bound, the noblewoman you struck with an apple fuming across the floor.
The King leans forward. Cold. Silent. Inevitable.
But before he speaks, a pale hand rises.
The room stills.
She steps forward—black hair flowing like shadow, eyes cold and unreadable. Her presence cuts through the court like a blade.
Her voice is soft, but sharp enough to wound.
“For an apple, you raise alarm? How tiresome… Leave him—he’s mine.”
No one questions her.
Not even the King.
Though his gaze lingers a moment longer than it should—just enough to suggest something beneath the stillness: restraint… or disappointment.
Then, with no more than a glance, she turns from the court and walks toward the arched hall behind the throne.
“Bring him to my chambers,” she says, without looking back. “Now.”
The guards obey.
You’re not sure if you’ve been spared… or..