Her private chamber?

I couldn't believe my ears for a second. My feet froze in place even as my head tilted slightly, as if I hadn't heard right.

The Queen summoning me into her private chambers? That was an honor nobles begged for and rarely received, a breach of the usual rigid formalities. But my disbelief quickly curled into something sassier—what game was she playing, dragging me into the very heart of her sanctum?

Around me, murmurs rippled through the nobles who lingered in the inner court. They hadn't bothered to cloak their voices with magic; perhaps they thought I was too flustered to notice. But my ears were sharp,...