The Princess's Second Life
The air in the council chamber was thick with the scent of ink, wax, and sharpened quills. Scrolls littered the long oak table, while nobles and advisors crowded the benches, their voices rising in muted conversation. For weeks, Elara had slipped quietly into these sessions, watching, listening, learning. Now, she sat straighter than ever, her blue dress modest yet commanding, her braid pulled tight. The parchment before her bore the neat lines of her own notes—an invisible armor she had forged for herself in the silence of her chambers.