Hadrian's words echoed in my ears, each syllable slicing deeper into the wound in my heart. The crowd roared their approval for the future king and queen, their applause a deafening backdrop as I pressed myself against the cold stone wall, silently praying for some divine intervention to spirit me away. What was I even doing here? Once a cherished mistress, now discarded by the Lord Protector—the man who would soon ascend as king.

He didn’t spare me a single glance as he stood ...