Morning light streamed through the high windows, illuminating the lavish chamber with a deceptive warmth. The fire had burned low in the hearth, leaving only embers glowing in the silence. I stirred beneath the heavy silk sheets, momentarily disoriented by my surroundings. Then, reality settled like a weight upon my chest.
I was no longer Verona Falkenrath of Hull. I was Verona Velthorne, wife to the Crown Prince of Praylor.
The soft rustle of movement pulled my attention to the other side of the room. Lucian stood near the window, already dressed, his back to me as he fastened the clasps of his dark coat. There was something unsettling about how effortlessly he had assumed his role. Poised, unreadable, already prepared to step back into the world as if the night before had never happened.
For a long moment, neither of us spoke.
Finally, I broke the silence. "They'll be waiting for us. Watching."
