ora

resided over the meal with a chilling, artificial grace. In a shocking departure from her usual behavior, she personall

w, with your own mind." Her voice was like honey laced with

nge with ill-concealed jealousy. She knew this

e spoke of how crucial it was for Corinne, as the daughter of the main branch, to receive the "Scion of Ho

u to write a simple petition to the Alpha King. A humble request, stating you

sweetness. "Oh, please, sister. It's for the good of u

oth. It was lukewarm. I let the silence stretch, forcing them to wait, to watch me. The powe

n, I looked at them with an exp

dy submitted my after-action reports to the military command. The process for awarding

e bureaucracy of the kingdom, which they so o

t as a personal wish, Aurora. A testament to

e genuinely troubled by the ethical dilemma. "I would be deceiving the Alpha Ki

the floor. Her pretty face was twisted in an ugly sneer. "Y

r, the butler hurried into the room, his

from the royal p

iumphant glee. They exchanged a look of pure victory. They thought their back-channe

ing look, as if to say, See? We don't n

ied her just the day before. A stern-faced official in the King's livery

al bow, he unfurled the scroll and began to read in a

recognition of extraordinary valor and strateg

le of the Whispering Woods with startling accuracy. Corinne's triumphant smile

le the Medal of the Silver Moon, a purse of five thousand gold coins, and the d

low to Genevieve and Corinne. Their faces grew paler and paler, their expre

ent back up and turned to me, executing anoth

There had been no mention of Corinne. N

sh shriek escaped her lips. "That's impossible!

s long nose at her. "The King's decree speaks only of the deed

furious red. The public humiliat

medal and the rolled deed from Mr. Finch's outstretched hands. I held

-filled eyes. And for the first time since my r

of pure, unadul

She could do nothing but watch as the glory, the wealth, and the honor she had schemed to st