The roar of one hundred thousand cheering citizens was a sound Kaia knew she would never forget. It vibrated in her chest, settling deep in her bones.
But as Aeron led her off the Royal Balcony and back into the cool, marble-lined corridors of the palace, the only sound she actually cared about was the heavy, purposeful thud of his boots.
The courtiers and guards lining the hallways parted for them instantly. They bowed and curtsied, their eyes wide with a mixture of absolute reverence and lingering terror. The King and Queen of Arindale were not smiling benignly at their subjects. Aeron looked like a man marching toward a battlefield, and his grip on Kaia's hand was ironclad.
"Your Majesties!"
Caspian popped out from behind a tapestry near the entrance to the East Wing. The valet was flushed, clutching his ubiquitous notebook to his chest.
