SAMANTHA
The next morning, I was dragged from my small room before I could even properly wake. Rough hands grabbed my arms, and I was marched through the winding corridors of the palace. Servants and guards alike stared as I passed, their whispers following me like a trailing shadow. My heart pounded with each step. I had done nothing wrong, so why was I being summoned so urgently?
When I was brought to the high room, I found King Lionel seated on his throne, his expression dark and foreboding. The morning light streamed through the tall windows, casting long shadows across the marble floor. And there, kneeling before him, was Vera.
"Your Majesty," Vera said, her voice trembling with feigned sincerity, "I have something to confess."
King Lionel's eyes narrowed. "Speak."
