I stopped in front of the massive, dark oak double doors. Two imperial guards stood like stone statues on either side. They didn't move a muscle, but their sharp, calculating eyes locked onto me instantly.
"Lady Irene Solyne," they acknowledged my presence, but I was able to just gave them polit nod because I never saw security on Xander's side.
Not during the engagement banquet.Not when he shamelessly declared we were lovers in front of half the nobility.And especially not even when he escorted me back to the Solyne estate afterward like some overprotective shadow wrapped in royal arrogance.
But now?
This heavy guarding felt deliberate.
I pulled myself out of my racing thoughts and noticed that the two guards still hadn't moved an inch. Assuming they had been notified of my arrival, since he had approved my request to visit, I stepped forward, intending to pass right through them.
