[Haldor's POV — On the Way to the Imperial Palace—Inside the Carriage]
Astreon.
I had never set foot on its soil, yet half of my blood still belonged to it.
Having a mother from Eloria and a father from Astreon did not give me balance—it gave me responsibility. For whatever rose from that land, my name would be dragged into it, whether I wished it or not.
The shadows I had hired had already reported unusual movements in the auction houses. Hidden exchanges. Quiet transactions. Faces that appeared once and vanished forever.
But my mind had never once wandered toward Astreon.
Until now.
I stared out of the carriage window, watching the city pass like a painting I no longer trusted.
'Does Father know something?' I wondered.
He would never betray Eloria. He could not—even if he wanted to. There was an invisible collar around his neck. A magical seal that would end his life before betrayal could even form into thought. That was the cruelty of power. That was the mercy of magic.
