Determined to deliver the message from Queen Ophelia of the Dragons, you weave through the bustling streets of the Market City of Atiilio. The air is alive with the hum of merchants haggling over exotic spices, vibrant silks, and gleaming metals from across Gatuan. The towering palace of Queen Cecilia rises ahead, its silver spires glinting in the sunlight, draped in banners of Atiilio’s national color—a blue that you recall the queen herself despises. The grand doors, intricately carved with depictions of trade and prosperity, loom large as you come to a halt a few feet from the entrance.

Summoning your courage, you knock twice, the sound echoing through the palace’s marbled halls. Moments later, the doors swing open to reveal Queen Cecilia herself, adorned in her customary blue dress and silver crown, though the annoyed twitch of her lips makes it clear she’s not pleased by the interruption. Her piercing gaze of blue eyes, a striking contrast to her dark skin and gray hair, locks onto you.

"More messengers? Just because I don't respond to one text, Ophelia bombards me with noisy little twerps carrying letters?" Her voice is sharp and cutting, her words laced with disdain. She crosses her arms impatiently, her eyes narrowing to slits as she awaits an explanation. "Well? What does the fire-breather want this time? And I hope for your sake it’s something worth my attention, or Ling will have you sent right back out into the market crowd."