Alderon's POV
I woke before the sun.
That alone told me the day would not be kind.
The room was still wrapped in the pale gray of dawn, the curtains shifting faintly with the breath of the morning wind. For a moment, I lay there unmoving, staring at the carved ceiling above my bed, my body heavy with the kind of exhaustion that sleep could not cure.
Then memory struck.
Today.
The word echoed in my mind like a war drum.
Today, Solmere would arrive.
Today, Princess Elowen would step into my world again.
And Maria…
My chest tightened painfully as I pushed myself upright. The night outside my chamber replayed in cruel clarity—my doubts, my fear, her kiss, Pamela's venom, Seraphine's warning, the way Maria had looked when the truth was thrown at her.
Hurt.
Confused.
Gone.
