Over the months, Meloris grew accustomed to the palace's gilded chaos. It was no different from the slums she had clawed her way out of - just dressed in silk and gold.
Venomous women whispered behind perfumed fans, perverted men schemed in the shadows, and greed dripped from every polished smile.
The only difference was wealth, but even the rich, she discovered, were ravenous.
Hungry for power, for favor, for survival.
And so, Meloris played the game.
She had seduced Lord Takresh with the precision of a blade, her beauty and wit dismantling his defenses piece by piece.
Through whispers and glances, she ensnared others too, women of influence, maids who held secrets, soldiers who followed orders without question.
With each victory, her presence grew, and with it, the Empress's disdain.
Now, nine months later, she was on the brink of childbirth.
The once-quiet chamber was alive with noise.
