I had made a terrible mistake.



Standing before the towering gates of the palace, I clutched the letter that had dragged me back here.



No one had forced me to return, technically. But after rereading the letter so many times that I practically memorized it, I had convinced myself that there was only one possible reason the King had summoned me back.



He regretted pushing me away.



Of course, he wouldn't say it outright. That wasn't his style. Instead, he had sent a stiff, distant letter as his way of expressing remorse.



Or at least, that's what I had spent the last few nights telling myself.



I took a deep breath, squared my shoulders, and marched inside. I had a mission. I would walk straight up to the King and demand answers. No distractions. No hesitations. No—



I froze.



The air inside the palace was thick with tension.



Every servant and guard I passed immediately stiffened at the sight of me, their gazes darting between me and their nearest exit. It was as if they expected the walls to collapse just because I had walked through the door.



I ignored it. Not my problem.



I kept walking, only to overhear a group of noblewomen whispering behind their fans.



"That maid is back?"



"She actually returned?"



"Does she even know what's been happening?"



That last one made me pause.



I frowned but didn't stop. The sooner I got this over with, the better.



Pushing open the doors to the throne room, I stepped inside, my frustration simmering. I had spent weeks agonizing over this moment, and now that I was here, I had no intention of holding back.



And then I saw him.



The King sat on his throne, posture rigid, expression unreadable. His golden eyes flickered toward me for only a second before he returned his attention to the documents in his hand.



"You're back," he said.



That was it.



No emotion. No reaction. Just two cold words.



I blinked. "That's all you have to say?"



The King looked up again, gaze cool and unreadable. "Did you expect something else?"



Actually, yes.



I had expected at least some kind of reaction. Relief. Annoyance. Even mild amusement. Not... whatever this was.



I clenched my fists. "You sent me that letter. I assumed you had something important to say."



The King simply returned to his papers. "If you were summoned, it was for a reason. That does not mean I need to explain myself to you."



My mouth opened, then closed.



What.



What.



No.



Something wasn't right.



The King was acting distant—too distant. And the tension in the palace? The whispers? The fearful glances?



Something was going on.



And I was going to find out what.