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Kallie stopped in her tracks, extending an arm. Sebastian narrowly missed it.

Tilting her head, she cocked a brow. Sebastian believed Kallie to be a princess needing a knight, but she was so much more than a damsel in distress. “Let me make things clear, Sebastian. When I marry King Rian, I intend to make Frenzia my home. Iwillbe a part of these conversations.” Kallie’s gift stirred beneath her skin. She was tired of the men around her keeping her in the dark. Darkness had become too close of an acquaintance for her liking, and she was determined to let the stars shine on the opportunities set before her. She would no longer sit in the shadows. She took a step forward. “I will be heard. Is that clear?”

With murky green eyes, Sebastian uncurled his fingers. “Yes, Princess.”

“Now,” Kallie said, as a broad smile split across her face. “Let us meet my future husband, shall we?” She spun and continued down the winding stone path that led to the carriages.

The guard, awaiting their arrival, nodded to Kallie. When he extended a hand, Kallie placed her palm in his and stepped into the carriage, giving the men her back. As she sat, she straightened her skirt. Before docking, Kallie had changed into one of the many dresses Domitius had brought from Ardentol. The navy gown had a structured corset with tiny pearls woven throughout the embroidered design. It was simple, elegant, and designed with the fashions of Ardentol in mind. Completely different from the free-flowing dresses she had grown used to wearing the past few weeks in Pontia.

Her father followed after her and sat on the bench across from her. While Sebastian sat beside him, Domitius’ gaze locked onto Kallie’s. He tipped his head, a devilish smirk flashing across his face.

As the line of carriages took off, Kallie pushed back the curtain. She stared at the night sky with a smirk pushing at the corner of her lips.

Silence filled the carriage. Rocks crunched with each turn of the creaking wheels. Besides the few guards patrolling street corners and alleyways, the village was lifeless as they rode through the streets. No light streamed through the windows, and no people wandered.

Off in the distance, the silhouette of the Frenzian castle peaked through a thick layer of fog sitting atop the hill. Tall, iron fences surrounded the castle’s property. Kallie’s ankle burned as though the sight alone could rip open the freshly healed wound. But unlike the fence that lined the Pontian palace, even the frail body of a child could not fit through the space between the iron poles.

When they reached the front of the castle, Kallie stepped out of the carriage and took in the sight of her new home. Compared to other castles, the Frenzians favored a simplistic landscape. Clean, smooth stone led the way toward the main entrance. Neatly trimmed bushes lined the exterior walls of the black stone castle. Frenzia didn’t need the extravagant gardens or luxurious fountains to appear grand. The Frenzian castle was a fortress, a stronghold. The perfect place to build an alliance and strengthen ties. Even without knowing their history, it was no wonder Domitius sought a union with the Frenzians. If a war were coming, Frenzia would be the diamond in a pile of sea glass.

Kallie should be happy that she was the key to establishing the alliance between Ardentol and Frenzia. Why, then, was there a heavy weight sitting at the bottom of her stomach as she stared upon the stone structure?

Small stones rolled over her feet as her father and Sebastian exited the carriage, pulling Kallie from her thoughts.

Domitius nodded to his guards in the carriage behind them. The Ardentolian guards began unloading Kallie’s belongings from the carriages. Myra gave Kallie a meek smile before she returned her attention to the guards, directing them. The faint murmur of the guards searching the chests in the other carriages.

At the entrance, two guards pushed open the heavy iron doors, revealing the castle’s interior shrouded by darkness and dust. Eager to meet her betrothed, Kallie strutted past Sebastian, who had stopped at the threshold.

Only a bare, heartless hearth greeted her. Dimly lit by a few scattered lanterns hanging on the walls and sitting on a couple of tables, the entryway of the Frenzian castle was dull, to say the least. The grey stone walls were bleak, cold, and empty of decorum. The ghosts of picture frames spotted the walls, the resemblance of any living memories stripped from them.

Kallie forced a smile as she lifted her chin. This was her new home. The blank walls only meant more space for new memories. A blank canvas to be painted with whatever her heart desired. A space to create, build upon, and form something new.

“King Domitius,” said a stout woman, rushing into the room and falling into a curtsy.

Domitius made a halfhearted grunt in acknowledgment and passed the servant without a cursory glance.

The woman straightened and shrunk within herself.

Kallie, who still had not been acknowledged by the woman, cleared her throat, and the woman blinked.

While Kallie would do anything for King Domitius, a fact she had proven in Pontia, she would not be overshadowed. Her father had said Kallie would be the primary ruler over Frenzia once she married the king. That the day-to-day decisions would be hers to make. Yet here he was, greeted first by the staff while she remained no more than a second thought. Kallie didn’t know if she would ever escape his shadow.

Still, she would try.

“Princess, you have finally arrived,” the woman said after a moment. “I am Lystrata, the housekeeper.”

Behind Lystrata, a few other members of the staff lined the hall. Sleep colored their countenances. The ends of the men’s hair stuck up in odd directions. A woman’s dress was ruffled with a piece of fabric bunched under her simple corset as if it was haphazardly put on. Kallie could feel her father’s judgment, but she did not care if they looked as if they rolled out of bed a minute ago. She searched the line for the red hair belonging to the royal family. However, the king was nowhere to be seen.

Relaxing her features, Kallie returned her attention to the housekeeper. “As I am sure you are well aware, I was a little tied up.”

The whites of the woman’s eyes became more prominent. Clearing her throat, Lystrata tipped her head down. “My lady, I meant no offense. We were all worried about King Rian’s bride when we heard you were kidnapped.”

King Rian’s bride,nottheir future queen. Another reminder of how everyone saw her. To the people, Kallie was a pawn in this political game. Little did they know that Kallie would be the one turning their king into her puppet.

“Prince Sebastian, welcome home,” the woman said, curtsying as the doors clicked shut behind the captain.

“It is good to be back.” Sebastian inhaled with his hands on his hips as if he could breathe the castle into his lungs. “Now, where is my brother?”

The woman rose from her bow, her fingers twitching at her sides. With a downcast gaze, she addressed Sebastian quietly, “He—”