Sunlight streamed through Lyria's curtains in soft golden ribbons.
Yet she barely noticed.
Her mind was still replaying the night before:
Riven walking in with that striking, soldier-like coat , the way she moved on the dance floor…
the way she had looked on the balcony, moonlight tracing the edges of her hair…
Lyria pressed a hand to her forehead.
Calm down. You're acting strange.
She tried to sort her thoughts:
• Riven was inspiring.
• Brave.
• Honest to a fault.
• Someone Lyria felt… safe around.
And after receiving a piece of Riven's energy, she felt stronger than she had in months—maybe years.
She touched her chest, feeling the faint warmth still lingering there.
"Why do I feel like this…?" she whispered to herself.
She didn't have an answer.
But she remembered one thing clearly:
When that noble approached Riven, she felt something twist inside her—
protective, sharp, unwanted.
I just don't want her to be used, she reassured herself.
Not jealousy.
No.
She was simply—
—concerned.
And yet… every time she thought of Riven's confused, gentle eyes looking up at her,
her heart responded with a warmth she didn't understand.
"…This is ridiculous," she murmured into her pillow.
But she couldn't stop smiling.
While Lyria struggled with her thoughts, the castle's lower council halls buzzed with whispers.
Four nobles met behind a closed set of carved oak doors:
Lord Evrin, Lady Cernelle, and Minister Halden , lord cassian .
All were furious.
"She embarrassed me," Evrin snapped, pacing.
"That hunter girl made me look like a fool in front of the entire court."
"Not the hunter," Lady Cernelle corrected, tapping her jewel-covered fan.
"The princess embarrassed you. In defense of the hunter."
Halden, older and more calculative, leaned forward.
"Do you realize what this means?"
They all fell silent.
He continued:
"The princess has chosen to align herself with this outsider… someone powerful, unpredictable, and clearly gifted in magic."
"Gifted?" Cernelle snorted.
"She nearly killed half the courtyard when she arrived."
Halden ignored her.
"If the princess becomes queen someday, and this girl remains at her side…
we will lose our influence. Completely."
The room darkened with the weight of that possibility.
Evrin clenched his fists.
"That girl is dangerous. Too strong for someone without a title. Without loyalty. What if she becomes a weapon?"
Halden smirked.
"That is exactly what we must prevent."
He placed a sealed parchment on the table.
"We will investigate her past.
Her teacher.
Her orphanage.
Her abilities."
Cernelle raised a brow.
"Investigation? Or elimination?"
Halden smiled thinly.
"Whichever becomes necessary."
Lord Cassin remained silent throughout.
The candle flames flickered ominously.