THE SCANDAL
I let out a small, disbelieving chuckle as Mia stands in front of me, breathless and wide-eyed, as if she ran from a burning building.
“Me?” I ask quietly. “Trending?”
My voice sounds flat, distant, like it belongs to someone else. Mia doesn’t answer. Instead, she shoves her phone into my hands with trembling fingers.
The moment I look at the screen, my stomach drops.
Across the top of an article, the headline blares:
THE KING OF ATHENORA IMPREGNATES WAITRESS AND ABANDONS HER. A ROYAL CHILD CANNOT BE BORN OUTSIDE PALACE WALLS—IS THIS A CRIME?
My hand flies to my mouth to stifle the gasp that escapes me.
“What… what is this?” My voice cracks.
“Scroll,” Mia whispers.
I do—and the words hit harder with each line. The article doesn’t know my name. Not yet. But it knows e
