Chapter 5

Early the next morning, Lady Jocelyn and Violet left the palace without a hitch.

I stood on the palace wall, watching their carriage fade into the morning mist until it was gone.

"Your Majesty seems in good spirits today," came Sophia's voice from behind me.

She was dressed in an unconventional outfit, a strange metal contraption clipped to her belt.

"Ms. Nolan," I replied without turning, my tone cool. "Do you require an audience?"

She stepped forward, brandishing a set of schematics with a triumphant air. "Charles has entrusted me with the development of a new type of weaponry. It…