Vera's POV
He brushed her off.
Her.
Vera stood motionless in the corridor long after King Malek had disappeared around the corner, the echo of his footfalls fading like an insult she couldn't slap away.
A thousand thoughts screamed behind her still, painted face.
He hadn't smiled.
He hadn't looked.
She had sidled up to him with the grace and confidence of a woman who knew she belonged by his side. She had touched his arm lightly, murmured something about the ball, about missing him. And he had barely acknowledged her.
"Don't crowd me, Vera."
That was all he said. And then he was gone.
He was pushing her away.
She turned slowly, walking back toward the harem, heels clicking sharply against the stone, like the beat of a war drum. Her face was smooth, unreadable. Inside, her thoughts frothed and boiled.
He'd been distant lately. Distracted.
Distraction was dangerous.
It meant someone else had his attention.
It meant her place was no longer guaranteed.
She couldn't afford that. Not after all she had sacrificed to get this far. Not after years of waiting and weaving herself into the very fabric of palace life like golden thread.
She was the favorite.
She was the one with the most powerful father in the court.
She was the one who everyone feared and envied.
She was the queen in all but name.
And yet, Malek's disinterest was a poison spreading beneath the surface, threatening everything.
She entered the harem like a storm hidden behind a serene sky. The other concubines scattered, as they always did, their eyes dropping, their bodies parting like waves for her to pass through. Even the servants held their breath when she walked by.
Good. They still remembered.
But it wouldn't last if he kept looking elsewhere.
She paused by a mirror and studied herself with ruthless scrutiny. Her hair was flawless. Her skin luminous. Her figure draped in silks that shimmered like moonlight.
And yet... he hadn't even looked at her.
Vera's lips curved into a slow smile. It didn't reach her eyes.
It was time they all remembered who held the crown here. Who could build and destroy with a word.
If Malek was growing bored, she would remind him why he ever wanted her to begin with.
And if the other girls were getting too comfortable she would tear that comfort away piece by piece until there was nothing left but obedience.
She turned on her heel, eyes glinting like polished glass.
It was time for a little spectacle. A gentle reminder. A crack of thunder in paradise.
Let them tremble again.