Dydra found her way back to the kitchen by stopping the maids she passed along the corridor, quietly asking for directions until she reached the familiar space. The moment she stepped inside, the warmth and noise of the kitchen wrapped around her—but her mind was far from present.
As she knelt to clean the floors, her hands moved out of habit, steady and practiced, while her thoughts drifted elsewhere.
Okitu.
A powerful clan.
Her.
Her grip tightened slightly around the cloth as the words echoed in her mind.
If what the crown prince said was true… then what did that make her?
Could she really wield powerful magic?
Her teeth sank into her lower lip as a spark of curiosity—no, something stronger—ignited within her. It wasn't just curiosity.
It was longing.
A quiet, growing desire to see it for herself.
To know.
Her blue eyes slowly lifted from the floor she had been scrubbing, scanning the kitchen. A few maids moved about, busy with their tasks, but the space wasn't crowded.
