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He licked his lips. “We sent a formal proclamation to the territories to inform them of your impending arrival. Not every regent has been…ah, fully accepting of me bringing someone of your…descendancy to our shores. Dion Silenus and Rhys Penworth, regents of the Mid and South Territories, have been loudest. But you shouldn’t worry,” he rushed out.

“That’s what this tour is for. To show our people they have nothing to fear in welcoming you to our kingdom. ”

My eyes swept the table. Lady Reaux hummed softly into her glass of wine, meeting my gaze with an unreadable expression. I caught Thorne staring at Galen with a furrowed brow. His strong jaw tightened, as if gritting his teeth to refrain from saying something.

I couldn’t figure these people out, and it was like an itch under my skin.

After spending most of my formative years and all of adulthood learning how to read people, how to find out what made them tick, how to keep their loyalty and ward off the untrustworthy, I’d grown adept at seeing beneath the surface.

The twitches, the eye shifts, the forced smiles.

The hidden meaning behind words. The kind tones laced with venom. Desire, anger, envy, truth.

Something was wrong. Something I couldn’t put my finger on.

My mind swam with what the two lords and Galen had said.

I’d been so focused on getting here, on the idea of leaving my home and traveling somewhere new, I hadn’t given much thought to what would happen after the fact.

These regent families I’d be staying with, the people I’d meet, this new place with their customs and celebrations and expectations hanging over my head…

what if they didn’t even want to ally with Veridia?

What if they were like Drakorum, with their ideals of a land closed off from others?

What if they refused to put the past behind us?

Lord Davies continued, oblivious to my mounting inner turmoil. “Arrangements have been made to tour the jewel mines in the South Territory and visit the coast before a celebratory ball in your honor.”

“The ball will be very important,” Lord Sadim interrupted again, pointing his finger in the air. “The last opportunity to gain the favor of Lord Penworth and those loyal to him.”

A weight sank in my chest, pressure rising.

“After that,” Lord Davies said, “the trip to Zeloria’s territory on the island will take about a day by boat.”

Galen chimed in with a soft snort. “I’ll be interested to see what the islanders have planned for us.”

“Interested indeed,” Lady Reaux added, rapping her nails on the tabletop.

“Well, they’re certainly excited to meet their future queen,” Lord Sadim said.

Future queen .

The words took me off guard. They pounded through my skull, making my hands clammy with sweat.

Of course, I knew what I’d agreed to with this proposal—but hearing him say it was something else entirely.

Calling me their queen. I imagined meeting this kingdom and feeling responsible for yet another land full of people—ones who evidently weren’t sure if they were going to hate me or not.

It all slammed into me at once. This wasn’t a vacation.

This wasn’t a task to check off a list. Once I married Galen, these would be my people too, even if from afar.

My life. My purpose. I didn’t know how I ever thought I’d be able to come here and then go back to my old life without bringing a piece of this with me. Without letting it change me.

I wasn’t even sure I could lead my own empire. And on top of that, I was about to add this kingdom to the list.

I squeezed my eyes shut and took a huge gulp of the sweet wine, feeling it burn down my throat and settle in my stomach.

When I opened them again, Thorne was staring at me from across the table. His eyes flicked to Galen, who seemed to notice my silence and the food barely touched on my plate.

“I think that’s enough business talk for now,” Galen said, his hand coming up to rest on mine. I fought the urge to flinch at the supple leather of his gloves. “Would you like to take a walk with me through the gardens?” he offered.

I cleared my throat and nodded. The night had always been my solace, and I needed a moment away from the planning and scrutiny. Everything was happening so quickly. Without my fox half to put my mind at ease, the world was spinning faster than I could keep up.

I took his hand and let him lead me across the patio, down several granite steps to two lion statues that marked rows of beautiful flowers.

Swinging lanterns were lit every few feet, allowing enough light for us to see over the stretch of land.

The same wisteria that lined the entrance door to the palace climbed down the lantern posts, with a backdrop of violets, daffodils, larkspur, and roses blooming in the moonlight.

We walked in silence for a moment, and my heart slowly went back to normal, no longer thumping through my ears. I took three deep breaths, letting them slide from me and carry the lingering anxiety away.

“I apologize for Lord Sadim’s comment,” Galen finally said.

“The ‘future queen’ bit. I know we haven’t had much time to discuss that particular part of the agreement.

” I glanced over to see his gloved hand rubbing the back of his neck.

“I fear this dinner moved a little too fast. I’m sorry I didn’t give you more time to adjust.”

Maybe it was because we were away from the others, but the king seemed…softer than before. More genuine. A little unsure, which I found rather endearing compared to the lazy smiles and forced charm.

“I should’ve expected it,” I admitted. “I know what I agreed to by coming here. It’s just a lot to take in all at once. ”

He nodded. “You were appointed empress at the end of last year, correct?”

“Yes. Well, technically I haven’t been sworn in yet.

I’m in what our law calls a ‘provisional period’ for a year, since I’m not a direct descendant of the last emperor, and my father before him abdicated the throne.

Nobody’s managed to take it from me yet, though,” I said with a soft snort. “Not for lack of trying.”

He chuckled. “It’s nice to hear I’m not the only one facing challenges. Let me guess—poison in your wine?”

“Dagger to the pillow. And arrow to the hand.” I held out the hand that was shot the night before we left Veridia City.

“Impressive,” he said with a low whistle. “I suppose it’s a rite of passage. You’re not doing your job if someone hasn’t tried to kill you.”

“Well, let’s hope your people don’t feel that way while we’re on this tour.”

“Oh, don’t worry about what Lord Sadim said.

He’s always a pessimist,” Galen said, waving a hand in the air.

“Mysthelm is going to adore you. How could they not?” He paused, and I came to a stop beside him as he turned to face me, taking my hand again.

“A beautiful, brave woman who took down a power-hungry tyrant and his wicked curse, leading her people out from under his hold.”

His gloved thumb rubbed against my wrist. I swallowed, forcing myself to look into his hazel eyes, to feel some sort of…of warmth or magic in the moment, with the moonlight shining down on us, the soft hum of insects in the garden, the gentle curve of his lips as he smiled at me.

This was how the fairytales went. A young, handsome king sweeps the princess off her feet with his sweet words and dazzling eyes. He makes her his queen and whisks her away to his grand palace, where they live happily ever after.

But I wasn’t a princess. This wasn’t a fairytale. And I felt nothing. No warmth, no flicker of attraction, no butterflies.

Nothing except duty to my people and an obligation to follow through on my word .

“You make it sound larger than life.” I slipped my hand from his, and we resumed our stroll down the grassy path. “I can tell you’ve done your research, Your Majesty.”

“I admit, I had my advisors make some inquiries with your council over the last few months,” he said. “My correspondence team managed to find out quite a bit.”

“It seems I’m at a disadvantage, then, since I don’t know much about you beyond your father passing away late last year and you taking the throne in his place. Is your mother still with us?”

He rolled his lips, taking his time responding. “She’s alive. She lives here in the palace, but her health has been declining. She finds social gatherings to be a bit taxing. But she’s very much looking forward to meeting you.”

“I’m sorry to hear about her health. I know what that’s like.

I’m not sure how much my council told you, but my father died sixteen years ago, and it set Mother on a downward spiral.

” I cleared my throat as memories of the last decade came back to light.

“She became unresponsive after a while, barely managing to eat and drink enough to keep her alive. My twin brother and I had all but given up hope of her mind ever returning to her.”

Galen gave me an incredulous look. “Your mother? The same woman I met today?” He motioned back to the dining patio we’d long left behind.

I laughed. “I know it’s hard to believe.

Leo and I hardly believed it ourselves, at first. You know my parents ruled the empire before Emperor Gayl, right?

” He nodded. “There was…bad blood between them. Gayl is actually the reason my family went into hiding. It’s a long story, but we think Gayl had some sort of magical hold over Mother.

When he died, his magic broke, and it released something in her.

Almost like an…unlocking, of sorts. Over the last few months, she’s returned completely to normal. ”

“That’s incredible,” he said, eyes wide. We walked a few more yards and came upon a wooden gazebo with a swinging bench. Dark vines clung to the railings, with lanterns and fireflies emitting small bursts of light every other second.

“Can you tell me about it?” he asked as he took a seat on the bench. “The magic in your home?”

“Well, there are six different types,” I responded, sitting next to him.

We slowly kicked our feet, and the bench swung back and forth, the breeze tickling my neck.

“My mother and I are Shifters, which means we can turn into our given animal forms at will. My brother is an Alchemist—someone who casts spells and enchantments. There are Shadow Wielders who can manipulate shadows and Lightbenders who create light magic. Then there are Striders, which is what we call people who can transport themselves from one spot to another in the blink of an eye. And then Illusionists, who cast illusions into your mind, making you see something that isn’t really there. ”

“I can’t even imagine.” He breathed out as he ran his fingers through his hair. “And you get to see this magic all the time? What’s it like?”

“I’ve never really thought about it,” I said with a shrug.

“It’s just always been there. You go to the nearest market and watch people wield shadows or light, see Shifters walking around as animals or Striders vanishing into thin air…

You get used to it, I suppose. It’s a part of us.

” I hesitated before admitting, “Coming here has actually been more difficult than I thought.”

“Why is that?”

“Because magic doesn’t exist beyond the Veridian Empire. Once we left the borders, our powers stopped working. It’s like a piece of me has disappeared.” I glanced down at my hands.

“And you’re sure you don’t feel it here? Any magic at all?” he asked, his forehead creasing.

“No,” I said. “How could I?” There wasn’t such a thing as magic in Mysthelm. Or anywhere except our empire.

Unless…

I abruptly shifted the conversation back to what had been nagging me all day.

“Galen, do you know what happened on our ship? The dead fish and birds, the wild storm coming out of nowhere. Nobody will give me answers, but I know that wasn’t natural.

I just want to know if something is going on here.

Maybe it’s something I can help with, if you’ll explain it to me. ”

His tongue flicked against his bottom lip. “Storms happen, Clarissa. I’m not sure what else you want me to say.”

I kept my voice calm, my tone mild, although it felt like the ghost of my fox half was trying to growl its way up my chest. “You know that’s not my point, Your Majesty.

You and Lord Reaux have both been avoiding my questions.

Multiple times.” My head cocked to the side.

“It makes me wonder what you have to hide.”

He stood quickly, causing the bench to sway forward. I held out my arms to keep from ramming into his side.

“Don’t—don’t touch me!” he bit out, lurching away from me. I dug my heels into the ground to slow the momentum of the bench, my heart jumping to my throat at his aggressive outburst.

“I have nothing to hide,” he ground out, but his eyes flashed a warning. “There are certain things about this kingdom I can’t explain. That I can’t make you understand yet.”

I pushed to my feet, adrenaline racing. It felt like we were teetering on an important precipice, if only I could figure out what was going on. “Try me.”

He sucked in a sharp breath, but before he could respond, his gaze flew to something over my shoulder.

“Your Majesty, I apologize for the intrusion,” a gruff male voice said behind me. “Your mother requires your assistance.”

I whirled around to face the unfamiliar guard, thinking for a split second he was speaking to me, but Galen passed me in a hurry.

“Lord Reaux will answer any questions you may have about the tour. I’ll see you tomorrow, Clarissa,” he said hastily, then disappeared down the dark path.

Frustration roared back in full force. What was he keeping from me? What was so terrible, so secretive, that he couldn’t explain? I was once again left with more questions than answers, more thoughts to send me spinning.

My eyes caught on a strand of vine that had fallen from the top of the gazebo. I knelt to the wooden floor and examined the dead greenery, its stem now blackened and crumbling between the small slits in the wood.

Every kingdom had their secrets. Their skeletons in the closet, their unspoken truths. This king wanted to keep them buried. To distract me with pretty words and fancy dinners and innocent strolls in the garden.

But I was used to dealing with what waited beneath the surface. And I was going to dig these bones up, piece by brittle piece.