C244 MERCILESS RULE

The summons reached Aria around dawn.

Not through guards.

Not through servants.

Through quietness.

She woke with the impression that the kingdom had aligned itself toward her, like a body turning its head at the same time. The mark at her neck was quiet—too quiet—but her chest felt tighter, as though air had become selective.

When the doors opened, no one spoke.

They merely waited