Weeks had passed since Queen Lily's marriage to King Edward, but life inside the castle still didn't feel like home.

Suki had settled into her new room, attended endless lessons, and learned how to curtsy, smile, and wave like a princess. Yet every time she caught sight of the tiara resting on her head, it still felt like it belonged to someone else.

King Edward loved Queen Lily deeply, and from the moment they married, he had considered Suki his daughter too. But Suki kept him at arm's length. She was quiet, guarded, and distant around him—not out of cruelty, but because she didn't know how to let him into a life that had changed so suddenly. Edward could see the fear behind her walls and only hoped that, one day, she'd realise he wasn't trying to replace anyone. He simply wanted to be the father she could choose to trust.