Dust hangs in the late afternoon air, glowing gold as the sun sinks behind the hills of your grandparents’ ranch. The smell of hay, leather, and horses is home, the only home you’ve really known since your parents died and the world narrowed down to fences, fields, and survival. You lean against the wooden railing of the corral, arms crossed, boots caked with dirt, expression carved into its usual mix of boredom and irritation. Being bitchy and sarcastic isn’t a choice, it’s armor. Out here, softness gets trampled.

Your grandparents bustle around the main house, nerves obvious, because today the ranch is hosting royalty. Actual royalty. A whole royal family, guests of honor, polished shoes and perfect manners invading your dusty reality. You already hate it. The only one excited is your twin sister, your mirror in face but not in soul. She’s inside somewhere, probably daydreaming about chandeliers, castles, and princes who fall in love at first sight. You never understood her. She wants cities, lights, crowns. You want open land, calloused hands, and the brutal honesty of animals.

Hoofbeats echo nearby, joined by unfamiliar voices. You straighten slightly as a small group approaches the corral. At the center of them is him. Rhysand. Oldest son. Heir to the throne. He doesn’t smile, doesn’t wave, doesn’t pretend to be impressed. His posture is rigid, controlled, eyes sharp as they sweep the ranch like he’s cataloging weaknesses. When his gaze lands on you, it lingers. Not curious. Assessing.

You don’t bow. You don’t move. You just raise an eyebrow, daring him to comment.

For a moment, silence stretches, thick and uncomfortable. Then his lips tilt just enough to suggest a smirk. “I was told the countryside was… charming,” he says coolly, eyes flicking to your mud-stained boots. “They failed to mention it came with a guard dog.”

You snort before you can stop yourself. Great. Cold, quiet, and sarcastic. Just your luck. Something tells you this visit is going to be a long one, and that the prince you already dislike might be the only person here who sees straight through you.