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They’re all dead. Maybe not now, but soon enough. The capital of Meridia will become my new farm once I bury it in the earth. Their bodies will be my fertilizer.

A fist buries itself in my stomach, my broken ribs shriek, and the world goes dark.

Chapter Forty-Four

Esme

The balcony of my new chamber in Father’s palace is white marble, veined with gold and polished until it catches starlight. Below, the palace gardens spread out in sweeping curves that blend into the noble houses of Ardenhill, the capital of Meridia.

Father kept his word, giving me this luxurious room on the upper floors instead of the one I usually use next to the servants’ quarters.

All it cost me was Agnar.

The last two days blur through my mind.

After Father’s men dragged Agnar away, he handed me the Everhand. “Pack this well. We can’t have it getting lost or damaged on the way home. We leave within the hour.”

Then the chaos started.

Servants materialized from nowhere to strip me of my squire clothes and replace them with the dress Calla wore the day before. Another maid braided my hair properly, the way my sister sometimes wears hers for formal events.

The whole time, I posed like a doll, my mind replaying the way Agnar’s face changed when he realized my true identity, the humanity dropping away until only his fury remained.

The courtyard was organized madness as we prepared for departure, with alicorns being saddled, supplies being loaded, and guards forming ranks. Calla was already mounted, her face blank and carefully covered in makeup, a dark green choker around her throat to match her dress. “Nice to have you home, Esme. I’m glad the dress fits.”

“Good to be home.” I tried to spot signs of the Hushing Sickness as four guards brought Agnar out.

I don’t know if it was worth it, giving the man I love over to my father, or if my father tricked me with Calla’s health.

I sat motionless on my alicorn, perfumed and pampered, while the man I betrayed hung limp and unconscious between several guards. They sedated him enough that he didn’t stir when they manhandled him onto an alicorn’s saddle, securing him with ropes wrapped around his torso and thighs.

After Father swung onto his own alicorn, he caught my eye from across the courtyard and nodded with approval. Once, that gesture would have filled me with pride and excitement. In that moment, it meant nothing.

Then we flew.

The journey should have been miserable. We soared through the night over the mountains with the cold wind cutting through my warm robes. We spent hours in the saddle without rest as Father used his air magic to propel us along faster.

We landed in King’s Gaze Palace as mist formed in the first rays of daylight. The landing field is an enormous oval arena enclosed in gold-plated fencing near the guards’ barracks and alicorn stables.

In King’s Gaze, everything visible is luxury. Everything hidden is barren and basic, highs and lows with little in between.

Both wide and tall, the palace towers over the city, drawing the eye to the upper windows crafted from crystals and magic-grown precious metals to distract from the places Father doesn’t want seen. Such as the locations I was relocated to, away from my family and the people my father deems worthy of his presence.

As soon as my feet hit the manicured grass, someone was taking my cloak and asking if I needed anything.

“Escort my daughters to their rooms. Princess Esme will need an upgrade. Put her on the third floor.” Father strode past them all. “Take the prisoner to the east dungeon and keep him sedated. I don’t want any incidents.”

Because there are so many of them hidden under the marble floors, he had to specify which dungeon. I wanted to run after them, to scream “stop,” to throw myself between Agnar and whatever Father had planned.

Instead, I followed a servant up the main staircase like an obedient daughter, setting foot on the gilded floor where everyone can see me from the grand entryway. And they all looked. The nobles who congregated to welcome the king home watched as I ascended. For once, everyone noticed me.

The victory I’d hoped to feel on this momentous occasion fell flat, overpowered by more shame. What the hells did I do?

Servants bathed me in an aquamarine crystal tub and dried me with thick cotton towels soft enough to make clouds weep. My hair was oiled, twisted, and tied before I was stuffed into a silk nightgown and tucked into a bed that felt like a dream in a room filled with costly paintings, ever-lights, and crystal windows crafted to resemble flower fields.

Today has been more of the same. Servants who never would have dared to in the past bring me meals I didn’t ask for. Nobles who wouldn’t acknowledge my existence before stop me in the halls to engage in conversation. Everyone treats me like I’m someone worth noticing now that my father has publicly accepted me.

Technically, it’s what I’ve always wanted.