Zane~
After surviving what felt like a soul-sucking eternity of royal posture drills, dramatic cape twirls, and more boot fittings than any sane person should endure in a single lifetime, I finally collapsed into my chamber. My legs were jelly, my back ached, and yet, I couldn't stop smiling.
Sebastian lounged across from me, his crimson drink swirling lazily in his glass, while I stared down at the medallion cradled in my palm. It pulsed gently, golden and warm, like it knew what it meant. Like I knew. My chest felt tight—in that way where you're so full of something good that your heart doesn't quite know what to do with it. Pride. Joy. Maybe even disbelief.
Then came the knock.
Three sharp, deliberate raps on the outer door of my sitting room.
I didn't even look up. "Come in."
