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Chapters (50)
  1. Praise for
  2. Title Page
  3. Dedication
  4. City of Mariit: Capital of Maynara Map
  5. One
  6. One
  7. Two
  8. Three
  9. Four
  10. Five
  11. Six
  12. Seven
  13. Eight
  14. Nine
  15. Two
  16. Ten
  17. Eleven
  18. Twelve
  19. Thirteen
  20. Fourteen
  21. Fifteen
  22. Sixteen
  23. Three
  24. Seventeen
  25. Eighteen
  26. Nineteen
  27. Twenty
  28. Twenty-One
  29. Twenty-Two
  30. Four
  31. By Order of General Ojas,On Behalf of Her Majesty Hara Duja
  32. Twenty-Three
  33. Twenty-Four
  34. Twenty-Five
  35. Twenty-Six
  36. Twenty-Seven
  37. Twenty-Eight
  38. Twenty-Nine
  39. Thirty
  40. Thirty-One
  41. Thirty-Two
  42. Thirty-Three
  43. Five
  44. A Coronation Prayer
  45. Thirty-Four
  46. Epilogue
  47. Acknowledgments
  48. Thank You
  49. About the Author
  50. Violetear Books x Bindery Books

Despite Aki’s words, she could not calm the thoughts warring in her mind. After the tournament fiasco, Duja’s worries grew to terrifying heights.

Twenty-two years earlier, Imeria had accepted Duja’s rejection. She left the palace and married her husband on Duja’s orders, albeit with spite and bitterness. Given the love they once had for each other, Imeria obeyed. That love was gone now, burned to a crisp. Duja could count on Imeria’s devotion no longer.

What good was love in the face of power? Would she steal Duja’s will from her if she had the chance?

No. Duja couldn’t trust love, couldn’t trust any Kulaw with a scrap of strength. Imeria had no place in the capital⁠—much less in the queen’s bedchamber. Duja had no choice but to cast her aside.

As for their children⁠—she thought back to the tournament with a sinking feeling. If Luntok was anything like his mother, he would not live down this heartbreak easily. How would Luntok react when Laya, at last, turned him away?

The king was right. She needed to conserve her strength for the rest of the feast days, until the end of the week. This was a worry for another evening.

With a last sigh, Duja pushed the question from her mind. The wind outside the window quieted to a distant murmur. Her thoughts stilled as fatigue beat down her worries. Finally, she closed her eyes, surrendering to the haunting shadows and smoke-filled dreams.

Eighteen

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Laya

The muted rapping on Laya’s door announced that a new day had once again broken over Mariit.

Laya rolled onto her side with a groan. The other half of the mattress was cold. She dreamed Luntok had come to see her, but when she opened her eyes, she was alone.

A maid’s voice chimed from the other side. “Dayang, could I help you⁠—”

“Go away,” Laya snapped, and spent the rest of the morning watching patches of sunlight creep sluggishly up the whorled wall panels across from her bed.

No one was waiting for her on the terrace when, after several hours of deliberation, she summoned the strength to leave her chambers. A wave of sadness washed over her as her gaze fell on the empty breakfast table. It was foolish to think she would find anyone there. With the feast days ending the next evening, the king and queen had an endless list of engagements. The king, she knew, had gone to Mariit’s lower wards to hear the commoners’ grievances, while Hara Duja was trapped inside one of the palace’s receiving rooms with members of minor nobility. It was just as well, for Laya did not wish to speak with her mother after their conversation the previous evening.