Three weeks passed since the funeral.
Three weeks of Selene playing the grieving widow in public while secretly preparing for Damian's return.
Three weeks of council meetings and political maneuvering and learning to rule a kingdom that watched her every move.
The court didn't know what to make of their new Queen. Young. Packless. Widowed within days of her wedding. Marked by prophecy. Traumatized by loss.
They expected her to be weak. Malleable. Easy to control.
They were wrong.
The first council meeting after the funeral, Selene had walked in expecting to be sidelined. To be treated as a figurehead while the nobles made actual decisions.
Lord Varion had started immediately. "Your Majesty, while we respect your grief, the kingdom requires experienced leadership. Perhaps you should focus on mourning while the council handles governance."
Selene had looked at him. Really looked at him. Saw the calculation in his eyes. The assumption that she'd meekly accept being pushed aside.
