His hands clenched as he remembered the latest test. He had gone into it certain, certain, that the weight of his Sovereign Vein would break Jae's momentum, slow him, smother him, crush him.
Yet once again, Jae had shone brighter, cutting through pressure as though it were mist. Sun had kept his composure, jaw tight, body still, but inside? Inside, rage had seethed like molten stone, desperate to erupt.
His pace quickened, the air around him seeming heavier as he reached the tall ebony doors of the queen's chambers. Two guards flanked the entrance, polished armor gleaming faintly in the candlelight. Their eyes remained forward, their bodies rigid, but they shifted subtly aside as Sun approached. They did not question him. They never did.
With a shove, he pushed the heavy doors open and stepped inside.
The queen's chambers were a sanctuary of power disguised as elegance. Drapes of crimson and black fell from high arching windows, their folds whispering with the movement of air.
