te Coo

pread that I had chosen to present myself at the royal Citadel, my stepm

o summon the three most renowned court couturiers in the capital within the hour, c

ver moon-silk, Gerda wore a hesitant, cautious smile, hovering by

ingers. "Your attire and jewels must eclipse every proud heiress in the Citadel. The gowns resting in your wardrobes are too demu

tightened with an ache of two lifetimes. I stepped across the

the past, I was foolish and blind, taking your fierce protection for granted. Reflecting on my insolence brings me nothing but

jection melted away like winter snow beneath a summer sun. Having raised me from a motherless infant only to be treated like

brother Ewart holds the garrisons and his rightful inheritance; you are the only cherished daughter of this household! If I do not shower my fortune upon you, whom else

a genuine smile touched my lips before I turned

I held my spine as unyielding as mountain pine, executing every formal curtsy,

through the estate grounds to cool my blood before our evening review. Accompanied only by

clusters of blossoming wisteria, the distinct, metallic chime of a jewe

ess fire are you stoking i

ng Nora to halt in the d

ca-the trueborn second daughter of the Secon

, her fingers savagely shredding a fine linen kerchief. At the sound of her sister's approach, Kiya frantically sm

mmoned the finest seamstresses in the capital to weave her court armor, while you are doomed to stay locked in your gloomy quarters, mending your drab second-han

palms, forcing a brittle, obsequious smile across her features. "What can y

weeping like a broken thrall. You thought this year was your golden opportunity to crawl out of the kennel! You concocted that foul draught, whispering sweet poison to trick her into feigning sickness so yo

mbling with suppressed, murderous rage as she for

s an unalterable fate. I shall remain inside the

s with a victorious snort. She rose and turned on her heel, muttering aloud that she needed to

two venomous vipers tear into each other

tandem-one mocking me in the light, the other feeding me poison in the dark. Now, with the banq

ora back to the Third Househo

ining, I paused outside the heavy woven tapestry curtain hanging before the inner san

arch. Her focus is absolute; her poise matches any highbor

ancestral gold signet ring on her thumb, letting out a long,

erce grandmotherly pride. "The girl carries her father's unyielding marrow. Her eyes have finally opened t