The second day of the assessment began in silence.
Not the formal quiet of ceremony.
A heavier silence.
The kind that meant something had already shifted.
Lady Anastasia dressed me in deep silver instead of sapphire this morning. Subtle change. Significant signal.
“Today is not about knowledge,” she said as she fastened the final clasp at my shoulder. “It is about allegiance.”
“To Ezra?”
“To the Court.”
There it was.
The real question beneath all the etiquette and theatrical scrutiny.
Was I loyal to my mate?
Or loyal to the institution that gave him power?
And what happened if those loyalties conflicted?
When we entered the Assembly Hall, the seating arrangement had changed.
Yesterday I had sat among the high-ranking nobles.
Today there was a chair beside Ezra’s throne.
Not
