Page 180 of A Court of Wings and Shadows

I stared at it, chest tight. “And now it’s here.”

Her eyes met mine, cool and firm.

“Yes,” she said. “Now it’s here.”

And I couldn’t help but wonder…

Why.

My heart was still pounding from the sight of the ring, but now it slowed, cold and uncertain, as I turned to face the woman fully.

“Who are you?” I asked carefully, voice low, not hostile, but wary.

She smiled faintly, the kind of smile practiced in mirrors and marble halls. It didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“My name is Inderia,” she said, with the kind of poise that wrapped her name in silk.

I glanced at the ring again. “You seem to know a lot about it.”

“I do,” she said without hesitation. “I’ve known Zander since I was five years old.”

That made something in me tighten.

It made sense, I told myself. Royals moved in tight circles. Old families. Shared tutors and traditions and secrets carved into stone long before I was even born.

“Do you… live here?” I asked, struggling to keep my tone even.

“Not yet,” Inderia replied smoothly, clasping her hands in front of her waist. “I’ve been away for some time. Required to attend court classes in Brosha.”

I raised a brow. “Court classes?”

She tilted her head slightly. “It’s required of all princesses within the royal houses of Warriath. Education. Etiquette. Political strategy. Military awareness.”

“That sounds very dull,” I said, managing a small smile.

Her expression didn’t change. “It is.”

I glanced toward the door, then back to her, the silence stretching between us like drawn steel. “Are you waiting for Zander?”

She didn’t even blink.

“No,” she said. “I was the one who summoned you.”

The world tilted just slightly beneath me.

The official seal.

The formal courier.

The box.

It hadn’t been from Zander.

It had been her all along.

My body went still.

Cold. First in my chest. Then my hands. The kind of chill that comes after a wound, when the blood hasn’t yet caught up to the pain.