A few servants crossed my path as I returned to my chamber, but none of them stopped. They merely glanced in my direction and continued on.

Something had shifted.

Most here never treated me with reverence, but they’d also never shown overt contempt. Now, though, their lips turned downward, eyes flicking to me with veiled disdain or worse, pity. It gnawed at my nerves, sharpening the anxiety that already clung to me like a second skin.

I wondered if any of them would report my midnight ...