Caleb
The echo of Queen Elise’s voice lingered in my mind long after the council meeting ended.
Her words were calm and sharp as a blade. It had silenced an entire room of men and women who rarely agreed on anything.
They all knew her reputation: Queen Elise of Blackthorn, the iron-blooded matriarch who ruled with elegance and unshakable authority.
No one defied her, and no one expected her to ever side with anyone who wasn’t of royal blood.
And yet… she had sided with me.
Even now, walking down the long marble corridor of the palace, I couldn’t quite believe what I’d heard.
My ears told me it was true, but my mind still resisted it.
A queen like Elise who was cold, calculating, and impossibly perceptive had spoken in my defense.
“‘I trust my son’s judgment,’” I murmured to my
