Chapter75: Legacy

*Karina* I slip away from the banquet hall the moment I’m sure no one is paying attention to me. The golden goblets and endless flutes of harp music were giving me a headache anyway. Too many ministers speaking in too many languages, all congratulating each other on another year of peace. I know I should care. It’s what’s expected of a future queen, but all I could think about was getting out. Out of the tight-laced gown, out of the smiles I’ve been practicing since I was five. Out of the noise. The hallways are cooler now, quiet in the way the castle only is at night. I don’t light a torch. I know the way by heart, past the atrium of blooming moonpetals, through the corridor of Starsong glass, until I reach the place that calls me like a whispered promise. The Royal Gallery. The guards don’t stop me. They know who I am. They only nod, pressing fists to chests, and swing the great silver doors open without a word. The gallery is dark save for the enchanted sconces lining the walls, eac