Life in the Dragon Kingdom was unlike anything Daya had ever known. Servants bowed before Vanda as though he were a god, and nobles regarded Daya with open disdain.
Yet Vanda remained unshaken, his presence commanding respect wherever he went.
At night, he would stand upon the balcony of his palace, gazing over the fiery horizon. Daya found herself drawn there too, silently watching him.
"Do you regret coming here?" he asked one night.
She hesitated. "I… don't know yet."
His lips twitched into something like a smile. "Honest. Good."
And for the first time, Daya wondered if beneath his arrogance was a man longing for something he had never dared seek.