The announcement was made at dawn.
All members of the royal court were required to attend a Ceremony of Devotion—an ancient tradition meant to "honor loyalty to the crown."
Aelira read the notice once.
Then she laughed softly.
"She's desperate," she murmured.
Mara looked worried. "Your Highness… these ceremonies are rarely symbolic."
"I know," Aelira said, calm as ever. "That's why she chose it."
The grand hall was transformed by noon.
White banners draped from the pillars. A circular platform had been raised at the center, etched with ceremonial runes—old ones. Public. Impossible to refuse without accusation.
Nobles filled the benches.
Servants lined the walls.
At the far end, Queen Seraphine sat in radiant white, her smile warm, her eyes cold.
Kael stood below the dais, armor immaculate, posture rigid.
His gaze found Aelira immediately.
Warning.
She answered with a faint nod.
I'm ready.
"My people," Queen Seraphine announced, her voice carrying easily, "today we honor devotion—those who serve without selfish intent."
Aelira felt it then.
The pressure.
The runes beneath the platform stirred faintly.
A test.
"Princess Aelira," the queen continued sweetly, "has graciously agreed to participate."
A ripple of whispers spread through the hall.
Aelira stepped forward.
Graceful. Unafraid.
She mounted the platform alone.
"This ritual," Seraphine said, "reveals hidden intent. Those loyal to the crown will feel… nothing."
A lie.
Kael's jaw tightened.
He took one step forward—then stopped.
Not yet, Aelira warned silently.
The queen raised her hand.
The runes activated.
Light flared—white and blinding.
Aelira felt the surge instantly. Not violent, but invasive—probing, pressing, trying to drag something hidden to the surface.
The ring burned cold against her finger.
Her breath caught.
Steady.
The warmth inside her writhed, angry at the intrusion. Shadows tugged at the edge of her awareness.
The crowd murmured.
"She's trembling…"
"Is she unwell?"
Kael moved.
He didn't step onto the platform.
He didn't draw a weapon.
He simply met her eyes.
And held them.
Aelira anchored herself—not to his body, not to his power—but to his presence. The certainty in his stance. The fact that he was there.
The surge slowed.
The runes dimmed.
The light faded.
Silence slammed into the hall.
The platform did not shatter.
Aelira remained standing.
Unexposed.
Unbroken.
Queen Seraphine's smile froze.
Then—applause.
Uncertain at first. Then spreading.
Aelira bowed once.
"I am devoted to the safety of this kingdom," she said clearly. "As any princess should be."
The words were flawless.
Untouchable.
The queen had no choice but to nod.
The ceremony ended quickly after that.
Too quickly.
Kael intercepted Aelira the moment she stepped off the platform, his hand closing around her wrist—not hard, but not gentle either.
"That was reckless," he said under his breath.
She met his gaze. "You were magnificent."
"That's not—"
"You didn't look away," she added softly. "Not once."
His grip tightened.
"Don't ever do that again," he said.
"You trusted me," she replied.
"I almost lost you."
The words slipped out.
Raw.
Unfiltered.
They stopped walking.
In the middle of a side corridor.
Aelira turned fully toward him, heart steady, eyes searching.
"You didn't," she said quietly.
"No," Kael agreed. "Because you came back."
The air between them thickened—heavy with everything unspoken.
His hand was still on her wrist.
She didn't pull away.
Neither did he.
For one dangerous heartbeat, he leaned closer.
Too close.
Close enough that she could feel his breath.
Close enough that the world narrowed to just them.
Aelira whispered, "Kael…"
That was enough.
He released her abruptly and stepped back, control snapping into place like armor.
"Not here," he said hoarsely.
She smiled—slow, knowing, electric.
"Then don't make me do it alone again."
Their gazes locked.
Something irrevocable shifted.
Above them, unseen, Queen Seraphine watched from the gallery.
And this time—
She did not smile.
Because the test had failed.
And something far more dangerous had been revealed.