Chapter 36 Thirty Six

• Aaron
• The night air was crisp as I stepped onto the balcony of my chambers in Mallory Palace. The city stretched before me, bathed in the silver glow of the moon, its streets alive with the flickering light of torches. From up here, everything seemed peaceful—calm, even. But I knew better.
• Beneath the polished marble floors of this palace, beneath the regal smiles and flowing gowns, lay a battlefield of schemes and hidden daggers. And right now, at the center of it all, was Elena.