SIGRUN Painting, as it turned out, was the single activity left in this entire kingdom that did not require a royal decree, three armed guards, and an act of parliament for me to perform. I sat in a padded high velvet armchair in the western drawing room, my easel angled just right to catch the soft, pale sunlight pouring through the floor-to-ceiling glass. The room smelled delightfully of wet oil paints, linseed oil, and the warm, buttery aroma of fresh strawberry cakes sitting on the low table beside me. My bump was a full ultra-size watermelon now. At seven months, carrying a high-powered direwolf pup that treated my ribcage like its personal trampoline, my bump sat high, round, and remarkably heavy against my frame. I was exhausted, my ankles swelled if I stood too long, and my magic occasionally flickered out of my fingers in harmless blue sparks whenever I sneezed. Despite the physical toll, I was feeling good. Energetic, even. But sitting here with a thin brush in ha
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