bride of vengeance
I hadn't expected the sheer weight of so many eyes landing on me at once, a physical pressure against my skin the moment I crossed the threshold.
Whispers rippled through the hall like wind through tall grass. "She's gorgeous." "There's no doubt he'll pick her." "Even if he doesn't, she'll be my daughter-in-law one day, mark my words." Somewhere to my left, a woman hissed something less kind under her breath, and another laughed sharply in response. I kept my chin high and my expression carefully unreadable, the same mask I'd worn through years of missions far more dangerous than a room full of hopeful brides — even as my pulse hammered beneath my ribs harder than it had during the entire br