#Chapter 122: Trust in Small Things

Ember The training yard is already busy when I arrive the next morning, steel ringing on steel through the cool air. Three guards run sword drills along the far wall while two more work through hand-to-hand combat forms, and every one of them nods acknowledgment as I pass without a single lingering stare. I've become part of the routine—Personal Guard to the Crown Prince, Kaine's mate, just another guard doing her job. "Except you're not just another guard," Nara points out. "You're the only female one." I know, but they're treating me like I belong, and that's progress worth more than any title. I join the sword drills and fall into the familiar rhythm of footwork, stance, and strike, letting my body take over the way it always does. We rotate partners, and I end up facing Garrett, one of the senior guards who's been here longer than I have—fast and strong, with a reach advantage that forces me to stay tight. But I'm faster, and we both know it. We trade blows, testing eac