The palace felt different the moment I stepped out of the carriage. Not unfamiliar—just heavier. Like the walls remembered more history than I could ever catch up to. Elias walked beside me, guiding me through the marble hallway lined with towering windows and polished floors. Sunlight glinted off the gilded frames and crystal chandeliers, painting the floors in sharp geometric patterns.
Now that I was crown princess it felt so much bigger, maybe because it made everything so much more real.
We didn't go far before he stopped.
"I'll see my father first," he said gently. "You'll meet my mother in the rose garden. She's expecting you."
"Of course," I said with a polite smile, though my stomach fluttered like a bird trapped in silk.
He caught it instantly.
"Relax. My mother likes you."
"I know," I said. "I'm just… I don't want to trip on the grass and embarrass myself."
Nero did say I got closer to her but I'm not sure.
