Damien’s lustful gaze continued to bore into Rory like a knife. "Go on, Rory. What is it that you seek?"

She took a deep breath and tried not to let her disdain show. “I need you to pull some strings for me, Uncle. I want to work directly in the Royal Palace as a diplomatic representative from the Kindred Houses.”

Damien raised an eyebrow, intrigued by his niece's unusual request. “And why is that?”

Rory hesitated for a moment, carefully choosing her words. She felt miserable that she had no choice but reveal her true intentions, especially to her manipulative uncle.

“I... I just want to be close to the...