I felt like I was suffocating, my legs weak as I struggled to stay standing straight and confident in front of my father despite his harsh words. They seemed to echo in my ears, a single statement that destroyed everything I had spent nearly twenty years working toward.

Bile burned my throat as I recalled everything I had given up for the title I would no longer receive. My father was a good man but a harsh ruler; he expected nothing less than perfection from the prodigious son whose name was on every noble’s tongue. From the moment I had been born with eyes as red as a dragon’s, he had driven me to be better than any of our ancestors.

There had been no time for leisure—no attention to spare for friends or relationships as I devoted myself to my duties. I couldn’t even remember the names of the servants who had helped raise me, my mind so numb with endless lessons in academics, swordsmanship, and noble arts… it had never seemed to end.

Katrina had been all I had, and I watched her grow up at my side, living all the dreams I had silenced in my efforts for perfection. She was wild and free, knew every servant by name, and had friends in droves. Despite my mother begging her to take lessons, Katrina had never been pressured to put on the front of nobility… not like I had.

And yet, as my gaze shifted toward her, seeing the horror on her delicate features, I couldn’t resent her for it. I had given up those things willingly and had looked forward to bearing the responsibility of the family name.

It was all I had wanted, and for Katrina, it was a gilded cage she had been running from her entire life. Even if I had lost my desire to lead the family, I would never have wanted her to take my place. Seeing the tears well in her eyes hurt just as deeply as hearing my father strip my title away.

Katrina stepped forward, the dragon draped over her shoulder, bristling with a soft rumble as its tail coiled around her chest. “Father, you can’t truly mean that,” she said with a pleading tone as she stared up at him. “Markus was born for that role!”

“The dragons appear to disagree,” he responded, his tone flat. Crossing his arms over his chest, he regarded Kat with a painful mix of annoyance and resignation. “Markus doesn’t have a pair—”

“Why does it matter so much? The dragons didn’t reject him; they all flew for him!” Kat said, my heart sinking as she argued to defend me. “None of the records mention any ancestor who provoked such a reaction from them! That has to mean something!”

“You’re right,” my father said softly, and I stiffened with shock as my gaze flicked back to him. He slumped back into his throne, rubbing at his face as he gave a heavy sigh. “I can’t explain what happened, how he could return home without a pair when the dragons showed him such favor. I wish we had the time to find a solution.”

Hope lit Katrina’s eyes, the wings of her dragon rustling as she approached the throne with a strained, pleading smile. “Father—”

“But that’s not possible,” he said harshly, silencing Kat before she could say anything to persuade him. My father stood up, a cold and imposing figure as he paced to the edge of the steps to the thrones. “Your birthday banquet has already been announced, the invitations delivered with the intent of announcing the heir. The crown prince has announced he will be attending to wish his blessing upon the next lord of the Eliseo household.”

Kat and I both stiffened, mirrored expressions of horrified disdain on our faces. Though neither of us had left Adeyl, we both had our fair share of run-ins with the royal family when they came to visit our father. The thought of his smug face casting a grim shadow over our coming-of-age celebration was like acid.

“With the crown prince in attendance, we need to present a strong front,” my father continued, either ignorant of our reactions or deliberately ignoring them. “The Eliseo family is the only thing that stands between Elais and Nuzyn. If we waver, we risk another war.”

I flinched, my face paling as I remembered the pages of history books that seemed to be soaked in blood. In the capital, tales of the war were full of conquest and victory, but the stories from those who protected Nuzyn were different. We knew the humans of Elais were greedy, and they had never changed. Given a chance, they would repeat the grim history that had nearly destroyed both realms.

If my father presented a young lord who couldn’t control dragons as the heir to Adeyl, it would be inviting catastrophe.

I understood, but it didn’t soften the blow, my chest aching even as I bowed my head. Kat hissed in aggravation, her dragon echoing the furious sound in a low snarl. She began to step forward, and I put an arm out to block her, raising my gaze to meet her burning green eyes.

“I’m sorry,” I said softly, seeing her flinch as her eyes widened in shock at my apology, “But don’t fight this. You’ll make an excellent lady for Adeyl.”

Katrina cursed, her hands curled into tight fists at her side and color high on her pale cheeks. “And what of you?” she snapped, her golden dragon snorting wisps of smoke as it reared its delicate head over her shoulder. “You’ve spent your whole life working for this moment. What will you do if father takes it away from you?”

“I’m not sure yet,” I admitted, my voice hoarse as I dropped my gaze for a moment, stealing a breath to compose myself. When I looked up again, I managed to bring a forced smile to my face. “But I will be here to support you until I find my new place if you want me. If not… I’m sure I’ll be able to find work outside of Adeyl.”

“You want to leave?” Kat asked, shock and betrayal filling her tone. She stepped forward, her hand gripping my shirt to drag me close to her. Katrina was only a hair shorter than me. She bared her teeth in my face as her eyes shone with wild desperation, and the acrid smell of her dragon’s fury-tainted smoke filled my nose.

“Don’t think you’re taking a step out of Oraeil, Markus. You belong up there,” her gaze tipped to the thrones for a moment, “And I will be sure you take your place, even if I have to march into Nuzyn and personally drag your pair here by their tail.”

There was a beat of silence in the wake of her words when all I could hear was my pulse rushing in my ears. My shock at her declaration warred with a dim sense of hope, as if my sister’s determination could change my fate. Staring at her in that moment, it almost seemed like she might find a way.

Then my father cleared his throat, his heavy steps approaching us, and the moment shattered. Kat cursed again, shoving me away to turn her burning glare toward our father. “I won’t accept this,” she snarled, backing away as her dragon’s tail whipped through the air.

“You don’t have a choice,” my father responded, his tone flat and his gaze still cold. He was as immovable as stone, standing before her unyielding despite the blaze of her fury.

Katrina spat at his feet before she turned on a heel, storming out of the audience room in a trail of stomping feet and shouted curses. I stood frozen in her wake, watching her demand that the guards outside open the doors for her with a piercing screech of metal across the stone floors. It wasn’t until they had shut behind Kat with a heavy thud that whatever strength she had given me drained away.

My head felt heavy as I turned to my father, weary and brimming with sorrow. For another brief moment, I thought I saw the same regret on his strong features as he met my gaze. Then his expression steeled into calm authority once more.

“You’ll need to watch her until the banquet,” he said, his voice a dark rumble that seemed almost threatening. “She’s taken enough lessons to survive that much, and I’ll ensure she sees to the rest once it’s over.”

I swallowed, giving a slight nod. “I won’t abandon her in the mess I created.”

“Son…” He paused, his hand hovering in the air as if he had stopped himself from reaching for me before he lowered it with a grunt. “I hope you keep to that promise.” Turning away from me, he paced to join my mother, offering his hand to help her up from her throne.

I recognized it as a dismissal, my throat tight as I gave a brief bow before leaving the room. My call to the guards was somber, their gazes full of pity as I walked past them.

Though I managed to keep my head up and my shoulders straight until I was out of view—making my way up the stairs to my bedroom—the last of my strength gave way as soon as I turned the lock on the door.

The stone was cold under my hands and knees as I sank to the floor, shivering despite the flames roaring in the fireplace across the room. The lush furnishings did nothing to comfort me; the room felt cold and empty, as if it were simply another guest room in the stronghold. Oraeil was no longer a place where I belonged, and I felt the loss keenly as tears finally spilled past my control, and I grieved in solitude.

Despite my determination to accept my fate, I knew I would be clinging to every moment I had left in Adeyl. The banquet was in two weeks, and no matter how brave I acted, my days were numbered.