Selene adjusted quickly to life inside the Drukbane palace. Within a week, she was present at every council meeting, assisting with trade scrolls and organizing letters from the border villages. Her voice was calm and confident, and she never raised it unless necessary. To the outside eye, she was the perfect advisor—efficient, loyal, and respectful.

But behind her careful smiles, Selene was studying Draven.

She learned the way he spoke when he was pleased and the silence that came when ...