FAELAN'S POV
I could feel Aviona’s excitement the moment we stepped past the palace threshold. She didn’t even notice that I was watching her.
Her head tilted back, eyes wide and bright as she took everything in—the manicured courtyards, the flowerbeds spilling color over the trimmed hedges, the white butterflies drifting lazily above the marble paths. A faint breeze stirred her hair, carrying the soft scent of blooming petals through the air.
The guards stationed along the steps stiffened when they saw her. Attendants and maids froze mid-step, lowering their eyes the instant I caught them staring. Their gazes flicked to the deep green silk draped over her shoulders—then away again, as though burned.
Everyone knew what that robe meant.
Everyone except the one wearing it now.
That wou
