The cameras continued to flash in the distance, but the sound was muffled as we stepped into the more private wing of the hall. I could feel the eyes of the elite boring into my back, whispering about the girl who had appeared out of nowhere to claim the Kian name. My father's hand remained firm on my shoulder, a silent reminder that I was now part of a legacy that did not allow for weakness.
I approached the Hollow King. He was a man who looked as though he were carved from ancient, weathered stone. His presence was stifling, filled with a cold authority that seemed to drain the warmth from the air. Beside him stood his wife, her face a mask of practiced indifference, though her eyes betrayed a flicker of sharp curiosity.
"Your Majesty," I said, dipping my head in a graceful bow that I hadn't realized I was capable of. The etiquette seemed to flow from a place deep within my blood, a memory of a life I was only just beginning to reclaim.
