"Your Highness," a female voice stirs the air, coming somewhere behind me. "Your intel person that you sent to investigate Lady Morvena Lysanthir d'Aurelle has returned."
…
The moment I hear that name…
'Morvena'…
My heart suddenly begins to race, each beat flutters like a frantic bird caught in a gilded cage, delicate wings slamming against unseen bars.
An unfamiliar urgency stirs beneath my skin.
A strange, impatient energy, as though a thread has been pulled taut inside my chest.
Still, I keep my voice even, cold, and regal.
"Good," I say, my voice gliding across the steamy air. "You may let her in."
And yet… despite myself, a smile still dares to curls faintly at the corner of my lips.
"Yes, Your Highness," the maid replies.
A pause follows, short, but heavy with anticipation. Then, after the soft creak of the chamber door, I hear footsteps glide across the marble floor, slow and respectful.
