Morning arrived over Ivanova like a wounded thing.
The kingdom no longer woke peacefully.
It gasped awake.
Smoke drifted through parts of the city after the attacks from the previous night, staining the gray dawn sky with dark ribbons that refused to disappear.
Broken stone littered the outer streets near the western defenses, while exhausted soldiers dragged damaged barricades into place with bloodied hands.
The siege had changed.
Everyone felt it now.
This was no longer a distant threat waiting beyond the walls.
Draco was pressing closer.
Inside the palace, servants moved quickly through corridors carrying water, medicine, and whispered fear. No one spoke loudly anymore.
Even footsteps had become softer, cautious, as though the kingdom itself feared drawing attention to its weakness.
Ariana stood near the balcony of her chambers wrapped in a pale silver robe, staring toward the distant smoke rising beyond the walls.
Her chest tightened painfully.
