Inside the royal palace of Solvane, a girl of fourteen or fifteen sat quietly by the window, her gaze drifting far beyond the glass. Her eyes were pretty, yet strangely hollow, like the petals of a flower slowly withering without water. She looked like her thoughts were wandering somewhere far away, somewhere no one else could reach.
And then suddenly…
Creak…
The door to her chamber opened with a soft groan.
"I told you so many times... don't come in without knocking," she said sharply, her voice edged with irritation. But as she turned, the annoyance on her face faded in an instant. The person standing at the door was her brother, Rowan. Rowan Hale, the third prince of Arcadia's royal family. And the girl by the window was none other than Daliah.
"Oh, it's you." Her tone softened, almost startled as she rose from her seat. Her eyes searched his face with urgency. "Well? Did you find anything? Any news of him?"
