Breakfast in the palace had always been dramatic.
But today felt suspiciously peaceful.
Sunlight streamed through the towering stained-glass windows, painting the long dining table in shifting hues of gold and sapphire. Silverware gleamed. Crystal glasses caught the light. Servants moved gracefully, placing warm pastries and fresh fruit before the gathered family as if nothing in the world was unraveling across realms.
Aliena was mid-sip of her tea when she noticed Sebastian watching her hand.
Not her face.
Her hand.
Specifically...
Her ring.
The diamond caught the morning light and scattered it across the table in soft sparks. It was not overly large. Not gaudy. But it was unmistakably royal. Elegant. Deliberate. The kind of ring that didn't whisper commitment.
It declared it.
He had proposed weeks ago — properly. Not strategically. Not politically. Properly. On one knee, voice lower than usual, gaze unwavering as he asked her to choose him.
And she had.
