Barbara's POV
Deep within the dungeons beneath the Adelaide Palace, Barbara stares at the cold stone wall of her cramped cell. The dampness seeps through her bones, but the physical discomfort pales compared to the weight of her choices.
She cannot escape the truth that burns in her chest. Every decision that led her to this moment was hers alone, even though part of her desperately wants to shift the blame elsewhere. The Beta position had seemed like such an obvious choice at the time. What Royal family member would refuse such status and power?
Without that position, she would have been reduced to working alongside her other cousins and siblings, scraping for relevance like common nobles. The thought had always disgusted her. Barbara had convinced herself the Beta role would be simple work, a comfortable stepping stone to greater things. How wrong she had been.
