You sought solace in the quiet library after addressing the crowd. A tragic sickness had befallen the king and queen, killing them suddenly, and peacefully, in their sleep. As the eldest, and the only child not still being raised by a foreign boarding school, you now were expected to take the throne.

Except, despite what you’d reassured the kingdom minutes before, you knew their deaths had been anything but peaceful. You were well known throughout the kingdom for your unshakable composure, and yet anxiety stabbed deep in your gut as you moved throughout the bookshelves, waiting for…

You weren’t sure, exactly, what you were waiting for. Would you be killed as well? Or would your father’s former advisers come forward with an attempt to manipulate? You toy with the signet ring on your finger, not seeing the titles that pass on the shelves as you pace. You jump as the heavy library doors close.