Chapter 11: Unwelcome Guests

Word reached me during breakfast. A delegation from Black Hollow had arrived. Not Lucien or Selene, but Elder Harlan, Captain Reyes, and a couple of their advisors. They claimed it was about trade routes and winter preparations. I didn’t believe that for a second. They weren’t here for trade routes.

My appetite disappeared. I pushed my plate away. Mara noticed and gave my shoulder a light squeeze. “His Majesty will handle the formal talks. You don’t have to attend if you’d rather not.”

I almost said yes. Instead I shook my head. “I should be there.”

The meeting took place in the large hall. I arrived a few minutes after Kael. He sat at the head of the table, posture relaxed but commanding. When I walked in, the Black Hollow group turned. Elder Harlan’s eyes widened slightly. Captain Reyes gave a stiff nod. No warmth.

“Seraphina,” Elder Harlan said, his voice polite in that careful way I remembered. “You look… well.”

I sat down across from them, hands folded in my lap so no one would see them shake. “Thank you.”

The conversation started with safe topics. Trade agreements. Border security. Supplies for the coming months. I stayed quiet and listened. Every now and then I caught them studying me, like they were waiting for me to slip up.

Kael spoke little at first. He let his people handle most of the details. But I noticed how he watched the delegation. His gaze stayed sharp.

During a short break for refreshments, Elder Harlan leaned forward. “We are pleased she hasn’t caused any trouble for you, Your Majesty. The transition must have been… challenging for someone in her position.”

Nobody spoke. Even the servants near the walls went still.

Kael set his glass down slowly. “Seraphina has been an asset to this territory,” he said, voice even. “She works with the villagers. Listens. Helps where needed. Can Black Hollow say the same of those they chose over her?”

Captain Reyes shifted in his seat. Elder Harlan’s face tightened. The silence stretched for a long moment before the meeting continued, but the tone had changed. The delegation stayed careful with their words after that.

When it finally ended, they stood to leave. Elder Harlan paused near me. “Take care, Seraphina.” The words sounded more like a warning than a goodbye.

I didn’t answer. I just watched them go.

Kael stayed seated until the door closed behind them. Then he looked at me. “You handled that well.”

I let out a shaky breath. “I didn’t do much.”

“You stayed,” he said simply. “That’s more than enough.”

For the rest of the evening I couldn’t stop hearing Lucien’s voice from the ceremony. I wasn’t standing in that hall anymore. So why did it still feel like I was?

That night I walked the quieter halls for a while, trying to clear my head. The Citadel felt bigger than ever. Safer in some ways. But the visit had pulled everything back to the surface. Kael had defended me again. Calmly. Without raising his voice. I kept thinking about it as I headed back to my rooms. Part of me wanted to thank him. Another part wondered why it mattered so much. I was here for a contract. Nothing more. Yet every small act from him made that line feel blurrier.

I rubbed my wrist out of habit. Still nothing. No mark. No voice. Just the quiet weight of questions I couldn’t ask anyone yet.