The palace was shifting.
Not physically—but in presence.
New banners hung from the outer spires, rich silks bearing symbols from across the four kingdoms. Languages Vivian didn't recognize floated down the hallways. The staff moved with clipped urgency, bowing deeper, speaking less.
Guest were arriving.
And not just nobles.
Creatures.
Vivian stood on a balcony with Lily, both watching the royal courtyard bellow as the first procession entered.
A black carriage trimmed in crimson glided in, drawn by beasts with silver horns and no eyes. The air around them felt… colder.
Lily grabbed her arm. "Vampires"
Vivian throat tightened. She didn't know how lily recognized them, but something about the way the shadow followed the new arrivals made her skin crawl.
A man stepped out—tall, pale and draped in obsidian robes that shimmered like a starless sky. His gaze upward—locked on her
Vivian froze.
He smiled.
It wasn't friendly.
The king watched the courtyard from his private chamber, wine untouched.
"She doesn't know what she is," said a voice behind him.
He didn't turn. "No. But he will know. Vampires always smell old blood."
The other voice was uneasy. "should we move her?"
The king finally turned, expression unreadable. "No. Let him look. Let him wonder. But if he touches her…" his fingers curled against the goblet. "…I'll have his head in a glass box."
The feast that night was thick with tension.
Foreign Lords filled the great hall. Angels from kingdom of light arrived in golden cloaks, their feet never quite touching the ground. Werewolves in tailored coats prowled the edges of the room, eyes glowing faintly in the dim candlelight. The demon emissaries came last—elegant , unblinking, unnerving.
Vivian sat beside Lily at one of the long tables. She could feel eyes on her—too many eyes. Not just curious. Searching.
She didn't look at the king, though she could feel his presence like a brand.
The vampire noble approached.
He moved like smoke, silent and elegant. "Forgive my intrusion" he said with a slight bow. "But I must ask—what's your name?"
"Vivian," she said coolly.
He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Vivian. Curious. You look like someone from a dream I had. Or maybe a memory"
Lily shifted uneasily.
Vivian held his gaze. "well then, maybe you've been dreaming too much"
The vampire chuckled softly. "Perhaps. Still… you wear this palace well. It's almost as if it was made for you."
Before Vivian could reply the king appeared at her side, voice velvet and sharp. "including defiance"
The vampire stiffened.
Vivian glanced between them
This wasn't small talk.
This was warning.
That night she couldn't sleep.
She walked the palace halls in silence, hand trailing against the cold stone.
She didn't see Nathan, but she felt someone watching. Not in the threatening way the vampire had—but something…. Warmer, sadder. Protective.
She stopped in front of a high stained window. The moonlight cut through it in green and red, casting fractured patterns across the floor. And for a moment---
The reflection in the glass was not her own.
But older.
Crowned.
Burning.