The grand hallway was unlike anything Freya had ever seen.

Polished black marble stretched beneath her feet, gleaming under the crystal chandeliers that floated like stars above. Every step echoed in the silence, swallowed by the towering columns that lined the corridor. The air was sharp with the scent of metal and power, clean but not welcoming.

Two maids escorted her—heads bowed, eyes down, almost afraid to speak. Freya's nerves buzzed like static beneath her skin. She kept her head up, ...