vited. Nobles. Diplomats. Even foreign emissaries. It was to be a spectacle. A coronation of submission. But beneath her skin, Selene now carried a secret as fierce as flame-a golden

o meet Selene as it had before. The orb floated between them... and flickered uncertainly. "Compatibility: Recalculating." Gasps filled the court. Queen Liora rose from her seat. "What is this?" The priestess glanced at the orb, her hands trembling. "I... I do not know, Your Grace. The thread has... changed." Selene stood very still, eyes locked on the flame. Don't look at him, she told herself. Don't look at Kael. But her body betrayed her. Her gaze flicked once-just once-toward the guards. Toward him. And in that moment, the orb pulsed red. "Secondary bond detected." Silence. Then the Oracle stood, their hands glowing. "The thread speaks," they intoned. "One bond has been overwritten by another." The Queen's face hardened. "Who?" The Oracle turned their head, scanning the crowd. Their eyes stopped-right on Kael. Selene stepped forward. "No." "Lady Aeris-" the priestess began. Selene raised her voice. "This trial is invalid." "You dare interrupt the ceremony?" Liora demanded. "I claim the right of soul truth," Selene said. Gasps again. That ancient law hadn't been invoked in decades. It was a relic-meant for cases where a bond revealed itself in opposition to the arranged one. It had been banned in most provinces, but not fully erased from the Core Laws. Queen Liora's lips curled. "You would use a dead law to protect a dead man?" Kael didn't flinch. Selene raised her chin. "I'd rather stand with a man I chose than kneel beside one picked for me." Arion scoffed. "You'd throw away your legacy for him?" Selene turned, her eyes blazing. "I'd burn the entire system for me." --- The Queen stood from the throne. "Then let it burn." With a wave of her hand, she signaled the guards. "Kael Thornhart is under arrest for bond treason. Seize him." The guards hesitated. Kael didn't. In a flash, he unsheath