Chapter 16

Elara's POV

Lady Vesna arrived on a gray afternoon with a procession large enough that I heard the commotion from my window before Soren ever came to fetch me, a line of dark carriages winding up the stone road toward the castle, banners snapping in the wind that carried the western kingdom's colors, silver and deep violet, unfamiliar against the black and gray I'd grown used to seeing around Nightfall Hollow.

"She travels like a queen already," Nyra muttered, standing beside me at the window, arms crossed as she watched the procession draw closer. "Subtlety has never been one of Vesna's strengths."

"Should I be down there to greet her?"

"Kael will greet her first, as is proper. You'll be introduced once the formal welcome is finished." Nyra glanced at me, taking in the deep blue dress Freya had helped me choose that morning, simple but well made, nothing like the elaborate gowns I imagined a woman like Vesna traveled with. "You look every bit the part, whatever that's worth to you right now."

It was worth something, I decided, smoothing my hands down the front of the dress as we made our way toward the main hall, the borrowed confidence Freya had talked about settling over my shoulders like armor I hadn't earned yet but intended to grow into regardless.

By the time I reached the top of the wide staircase overlooking the entrance hall, Kael was already standing at the base of it, formal in a way I hadn't seen him before, dark clothing sharp against the pale stone, every bit the King his kingdom expected rather than the man who tucked hair behind my ear in quiet libraries.

The doors opened, and Lady Vesna swept in like she owned the space already, tall and striking, dark hair pinned in an elaborate style that must have taken her attendants hours, violet eyes that swept the hall with the same sharp assessment I'd seen from Elder Mathis, though hers carried something colder underneath the polite smile she offered Kael.

"Kael." She said his name with a familiarity that made something tighten in my chest, an ease that spoke of history I knew nothing about. "It's been too long since you've allowed me the pleasure of a visit."

"Vesna." Kael's voice was polite, measured, giving nothing away.

"Nightfall Hollow welcomes you and your party. I trust the roads were kind to you."

"The roads were tolerable, and the company was tolerable.

" Her eyes moved past him, up the staircase, and landed on me with a precision that made it clear she'd known exactly where I was standing before she ever looked.

"Though I understand the company here has become considerably more interesting since my last visit."

I made myself walk down the remaining stairs at an even pace, refusing to let her stare rush me or slow me, and when I reached the bottom, I inclined my head with exactly the kind of measured respect Freya had drilled into me all week, not too much, not too little.

"Lady Vesna," I said. "Welcome to Nightfall Hollow."

"And you must be Elara." Her smile widened, though it never quite reached her eyes.

"The rejected omega who found herself a King. Quite the story.

I've heard three different versions on my journey here, and I confess I'm eager to learn which of them, if any, is true."

"I'm afraid the truth is far less exciting than court gossip usually allows for," I said, keeping my voice light despite the way her words had landed, precisely aimed to remind me of exactly what I'd been called before all this, weak, unworthy, cast aside.

"I was attacked by rogues, and king Draven saved my life. The rest has simply followed from there."

"How wonderfully modest." Vesna's gaze flicked briefly to my wrist, and though my sleeve covered the mark, something in her expression told me she already knew it was there, that the rumors had carried that detail across three kingdoms same as everything else.

"I do hope we'll have the chance to speak more privately during my visit. I find rejected women fascinating.

There's usually so much more to their stories than the men who cast them aside ever bother to understand."

There was something underneath the words, sharp despite the pleasant tone, and I felt Kael shift slightly beside me, close enough to be a presence without quite being protective enough to look like he doubted my ability to handle myself.

"I'd be glad to talk," I said evenly. "Though I imagine you understand better than most how exhausting it is, having people assume they already know your whole story before you've said a word of it yourself."

Something flickered across Vesna's face, surprise quickly smoothed back into that same polished smile, though I thought I caught the faintest crack of respect underneath it, grudging and brief.

"Clever," she said. "That's not usually a word I get to use about the women Kael brings home." She turned back to him before I could decide how to respond to that.

"You'll forgive me if I say I'm impressed, Kael. I expected someone easily overwhelmed.

This is a pleasant surprise."

"Elara tends to surprise people," Kael said, and there was something warm underneath the formal tone, quiet enough that only those of us close by would catch it. "I've found it's best not to underestimate her."

Vesna's smile turned considering, thoughtful in a way that made the back of my neck prickle with unease even as the conversation continued smoothly on toward talk of trade routes and the evening's planned dinner, and it wasn't until much later, after she and her attendants had been shown to their quarters, that I let myself breathe out the tension I'd been holding since the carriages first appeared on the road.

"She's not what I expected," I admitted to Kael, once we were alone in the quiet of the library, the fire crackling low in the hearth.

"She's rarely what anyone expects," Kael said. "That's precisely what makes her dangerous. You did well today, Elara. Better than well."

"I felt like I was walking across ice the whole time, waiting to hear it crack."

"Maybe," he said, reaching over to take my hand, thumb brushing gently over the mark on my wrist. "But you didn't fall. And from where I was standing, that's all that mattered."