The motorcade slid out of the palace gates like a line of polished obsidian, sunlight glinting off chrome and tinted glass. For the first time since the gala, the people of Saha caught sight of both their king and his consort, together, and unguarded enough to make it look almost ordinary.
Almost.
Chris sat beside Dax in the backseat of the lead car, his reflection fractured across the dark glass as the capital's skyline unfolded before them. He'd seen it in pictures before: sweeping streets lined with white stone, high bridges glinting over river canals, and the neon pulse of the markets, but this was different.
"You're quiet," Dax said beside him, his voice smooth over the hum of the engine.
Chris's gaze stayed fixed on the window. "I'm realizing I've been living in your country for months without ever actually being in it."
Dax smiled faintly. "Saha takes time. It doesn't reveal itself all at once. It tests you first."
"Like you?"
