My parents had invited the Moon King and Queen for a formal meeting, but I wasn’t really interested in their discussions. What excited me was meeting their daughter. I heard she was my age—maybe we could be best friends!

After fixing my hair and putting on my best clothes, I wandered through the hallway as sunlight bathed the rooms. This was the heart of the Sun Palace, after all.

I spotted her sitting on one of our plush couches, looking distant and reserved—was this normal behaviour for descendants of the Moon lineage? I approached with a smile and offered my hand.

“Hi, I’m Summer Hollis, daughter of the Sun Monarchs. You’re the daughter of the Moon Monarchs, right? I’ve heard so much about you, but we’ve never met.”