By the beginning of the third month of Nalia's pregnancy, the news had spread beyond the borders of Valeria with the speed and enthusiasm of a drunken messenger.
Neighboring kingdoms, distant allies, opportunistic merchants, and suspiciously friendly nobles all decided that the unborn child of the Valerian princes deserved proper diplomatic recognition. As a result, the palace gates had not stopped receiving deliveries for three consecutive days, and the royal courtyard now looked less like a place of governance and more like the storage yard of a very confused circus.
At the center of this unfolding disaster stood Prince Aiden, who had been appointed—against his will but in accordance with his reputation for responsibility—as the official overseer of diplomatic gifts.
Aiden held a long parchment list in one hand while standing beside a mountain of crates, boxes, velvet cases, sealed barrels, ceremonial chests, and one very suspiciously humming artifact.
