Valerie offered a small smile, as though she believed him.
But behind that smile, she held tightly to her secret the small pill she swallowed every day, and the enormous decision she was not yet ready to make.
Because Valerie knew, Demian's love could become her protection… or the strongest snare she would ever face.
And the capital with the Emperor, Lady Kosler, and Demian's past would be the place where all those choices would finally demand an answer.
Three days later, Morvex Castle stirred once more.
Not with the clamor of a march to war, but with the restrained tension that belonged only to a journey toward the heart of power. Carriages were prepared since dawn, the finest horses selected, the guards replaced with more formal uniforms dark colors bearing the Duke's crest clearly displayed, as if to remind the world who was passing through.
Valerie stood before her bedroom window, watching the courtyard slowly fill with movement.
