Chapter 1
At the banquet celebrating the new King, Damian Browning's accession to the throne, the Queen Mother promoted me from a princess's maid to a noble lady, the King's concubine.
All the noble ladies in Veromk were waiting to see how the queen, Helena Erickson, would give me hell.
Everyone knew Helena was notoriously jealous. She'd even forced her own sister to become a nun back in the day.
And I was an orphan with no parents. Even my surname was a gift from the royal family.
But I couldn't care less.
Since my lover, Edwin Gilbert, fell on the Northern Frontier three years ago, marriage became meaningless to me.
Being Damian's concubine wasn't so bad. I needed this status to uncover the truth behind Edwin's death on the battlefield.
They laughed at me for not winning Damian's favor, but I laughed right back at them for only knowing how to scheme for Damian's attention.
The last thing a competent concubine needed was the King's affection.
*****
At the banquet for the new King, the Queen Mother, with a single decree, promoted me from a nobody, a companion to the princess, to a noble lady, the King's concubine.
They put me in the farthest corner of the royal palace, the Moon Palace.
"The evening moon meets the clear sky. I always loved that line," Edwin once said to me with a smile.
The man who cherished those words was buried on the Northern Frontier, and I found myself living in a palace named after the line he adored.
I couldn't tell if this was fate or if Damian was purposely trying to shame me.
Before I had time to think, the doors to the hall slammed open, letting in a gust of icy wind along with a group of arrogant palace servants.
"My, Lady Gracelynn, you're putting on airs. Her Majesty the Queen is here, and you don't even bother to come out and greet her?" Jane Reid yelled.
Jane, Helena's trusted head maid, gave me a sidelong, scornful glance, her words sharp and biting.
I slowly rose to my feet, leaning on my maid, Linda Hook, for support, my head bowed, and eyes lowered. "I'm feeling unwell. I hope you can understand."
Jane snorted coldly, dismissing my words. She stepped aside, and Helena, draped in her splendid dress, entered with regal poise.
Her gaze sliced over me like a knife, finally landing on my unadorned face, a mocking smile curling at her lips.
Helena sneered, "Feeling unwell? Oh, I bet you're still clinging to memories of your former lord, holding a grudge against the royal family, aren't you?"
She waved her hand, and the servants and maids behind her rushed in like a pack of wolves, tearing through every chest and trunk.
She ordered, "Turn this place upside down. Let's see what kind of forbidden things Lady Gracelynn has smuggled into the palace."
My heart sank.
Linda's face turned deathly pale as she blocked my dressing table. "Your Majesty, you mustn't..."
"Get out of the way!" Jane kicked Linda aside, stepped forward, and flung open my jewelry box herself.
At the very bottom of the box, half of a rose-patterned pendant rested quietly.
It was the only thing I had left to hold onto. Three years ago, before Edwin left for the Northern Frontier, he pressed it into my palm.
He told me that when he returned in triumph, he'd exchange the other half for my wedding dress.
The pendant was still here, but Edwin was gone, nothing left but dust.
Helena picked up the pendant, and the moment her eyes landed on it, her expression darkened instantly.
"Gracelynn, how dare you!" She barked, then slammed the pendant onto the floor in front of me.
The gem hit the tiles with a clear, almost painful ring. "This belonged to the former crown prince. What are you scheming, keeping such a thing hidden?"
The former crown prince? I felt my blood turn to ice at that moment.
Everyone knew the Gilberts and the former crown prince were like family.
But the pendant in my hand was an ordinary design that people could find anywhere in Veromk. The only reason I cherished it was that Edwin gave it to me.
"Your Majesty," I managed, forcing myself to bow.
I kept my eyes down. Humiliation crawled up my spine like a cold snake. "This pendant is just...a common style. It's not..."
"Still trying to talk your way out of it." Helena didn't listen, instantly accusing me of treason, claiming I was loyal to the last king and plotting something sinister.
She stepped closer, looming over me, her gaze so vicious that it felt like she could devour me.
She snapped, "Today, I'll clean house for His Majesty and get rid of you, a remnant of the old dynasty."
She raised her hand high, her crimson-tipped fingers poised to slap me across the face.
I squeezed my eyes shut. The sharp pain of my nails digging into my palm kept me grounded.
It wasn't fear. It was burning hatred.
I hated myself for being so useless, for not being able to protect the last thing Edwin left me.
"Stop." A deep male voice echoed through the hall, his tone so commanding that everyone froze in their tracks.
It was Damian.
No one knew when he had shown up. He stood silently at the doorway, his gaze lingering on the broken pendant at my feet, cold and unreadable.
When Helena spotted Damian, her vicious glare instantly turned into a pitiful pout.
She curtsied, her voice suddenly soft and sweet. "Your Majesty, what brings you here? I was helping you teach this insolent..."
Damian didn't look at her. He walked in at an unhurried pace and came to a stop right in front of me.
He bent down, picked up the broken half of the pendant, and gently traced the dragon pattern with his fingertips, as if he were handling a priceless treasure.