The Throne Room was filled to the brim with nobles and courtiers anticipating the arrival of the nobility from across the Draga galaxy. So many had agreed to attend the Choosing Ball and the festivities that led up to it. There hadn’t been a gathering such as this for nearly a generation. The last time the Draga Palace had housed so many noble families was during King Orion’s coronation.

Black and purple banners with the Draga House sigil covered the throne room. The floating chandeliers’ lights glittered against the black marble floor with strands of gold like the sacred spider webs. The opals set into the marble columns were worth more than a king’s ransom and the dark opulence only made the royal family sitting on the dais even more glorious.

Nadyah sat next to the king’s mistress, Elara. They sat in the front row on the right side of the king. They were in the row of the favored by the royal family. She glanced at the other favorites next to her and smiled.

Tamika, the two royal cousins – Prince Ajax and Princess Vasara, Lord Greyson, and Caspian filled the first row. Nadyah gave Lord Greyson a wink and he gave her a tender smile. He was one of her most frequent and favorite clients until recently. His daughter, Lady Veri, was finally going to be at court and Nadyah was happy for him.

She turned back to the dais where the royal family and her princess waited to receive the noble guests. Adelina looked stunning in the gold dress Nadyah had given her the first time they’d met. The amethyst she’d gifted Adelina for her coming-of-age day dangled delicately between the princess’s breasts. The small curves drew the eye without giving away too much. The spidersilk glittered under the chandeliers. Her princess crossed her legs and a flash of thigh showed for a brief second before the layers settled once more into something a bit more demure.

Her princess was learning.

Normally the royal family didn’t greet each noble in such an extravagant manner when they arrived, but this was a special occasion. It wasn’t only the Choosing Ball where the possibility of king was open to all, but four royal children were old enough to wed including Prince Ian. The two younger princes could be promised if the offers were appealing enough and they agreed.

Ian looked uncomfortable to be considered a legitimate heir as usual. Asher glowered at the gathering nobles already living at court. The dark prince seemed to have a constant attitude Nadyah didn’t understand. She hadn’t seen him act pleasant once since she’d arrived at the palace.

Her favorite was Prince Ian. He was a brilliant scientist and had even submitted to join the Scientist’s Guild this cycle from what Nadyah had learned. His lover P’draic was a closely held secret per Adelina.

William was the youngest and the funny one. He was always lighthearted and made Nadyah laugh. She knew he’d trained as a warrior and as the fourth in line to the throne didn’t expect to be needed at the palace much. Nadyah heard William joke he would be sold off in marriage like one of the princesses of ancient times. One of the servants had told Nadyah he secretly hoped to become General. The Lord High Admiral was a hard woman to please though, and unless William was appointed by Raena he may never see the position.

From what Nadyah could see of the family dynamics and her careful studying of their relationships, Raena wasn’t blind to her siblings’ goals and dreams, but she was also a master strategist. If Raena could gain something for her people by shuffling another noble into a certain position she would do it.

Which was why Lord Hayden was high on the list of possible husbands for the Crown Princess as the Avvis Army was strong and almost as large as the Draga Royal Army. No doubt Raena would want to secure that army in the defense of the Draga galaxy and keep a possible civil war at bay.

Giselle was the one who wanted the quiet life, having nothing to do with royalty or a crown. Nadyah had found applications on Giselle’s shreve for the Warrior’s Guild, but she knew it was still forbidden by the king and queen. After studying Raena over the last few days Nadyah didn’t believe the crown princess would allow it either. Giselle would be Raena’s heir and therefore too valuable to lose.

The three princesses sat on the left of the queen. The princes were on the king’s right. Both thrones were currently empty. The king had more bad days than good recently with his sickness, but he would attend. It was simply a matter of when. Events didn’t always start on time anymore. King Orion had been an excellent and fair king, though Nadyah thought it was bad luck he was leaving Raena with a galaxy on the brink of war.

Finally, the queen entered the Throne Room. Nadyah adjusted her auditory implant so she could hear the whispered conversations of the royal family. Queen Adele breezed by her daughters. “Giselle, sit up straight,” she hissed. The queen sat on her throne next to the King’s empty one.

A few moments later the king arrived and Nadyah noted the bags under his eyes. King Orion’s face was gaunt and he’d lost too much weight. The way he sat on his throne made her bones ache in sympathy. He had aged decades in a matter of months. The king winced as he adjusted his heavy crown and the chain of command across his chest.

Nadyah glanced at Adelina and the worry and heartache she saw on her princess’s face weighed heavy on her own heart. Nadyah didn’t know her own parents, but she could only imagine the pain of losing those you knew and loved. If she lost any of her brothers and sisters in the House she would be devastated.

“Lina,” Giselle whispered. Nadyah turned and watched Giselle fidget in her gown and pull at the low neckline as if she could make it cover more of her skin. “Do you know when the nobles are supposed to arrive exactly? I need to get out of this wretched dress as soon as possible.”

Nadyah covered her smile with her hand and observed Adelina lean over so she could whisper in Giselle’s ear. “Within the hour, but you really do look lovely.”

The older princess harrumphed and Raena glared at the two of them.

It had only been a week in the palace and Nadyah was still intrigued by the relationships between the royal siblings. There was an ever-changing give and take. The support they had for each other astounded her. Based on her study of history such camaraderie was unusual when each wanted their hands on the power of an entire galaxy.

Nadyah knew the palace and the royal family had secrets, but she would never have guessed that Adelina of all the princesses and princes led a double life. Giselle did as well, but she always brazenly shouted her declaration to become a warrior. Her personality was far more extroverted and confident than Adelina’s.

Nadyah couldn’t have been more wrong about the quietest princess. She thought when she had first been given this assignment she would enjoy teaching the camerraleto but that would be all. She had thought court life would bore her to tears and she would miss the House and her clients. Never in her wildest dreams could Nadyah have imagined how mysterious and wonderful Adelina could be.

There were so many facets to her life. Princess Adelina’s artwork was well-known by the public, and many knew she created the designs for her dresses and some of her siblings’ clothes. The livestream showed her working with the spiders and some of her sketches, but the livestream was also carefully curated by the royal publicists. Somehow everyone but Giselle had missed this brilliant woman who hid under the mask of her submission and service to the Crown.

Her princess’s black-as-night hair was piled elegantly on the top of her head and it elongated her neck. Her amethyst eyes practically glowed as she sought out Prince Nash in the crowd of nobles seated along the sides of the Throne Room. Nadyah felt a deep attraction towards Adelina and she knew how blessed she was for such a wonderful assignment. She would have to thank Amora at her temple later.

The royal guards stood at attention behind the royal family, directly parallel with their assigned family member. Nadyah’s smile dropped as she studied Alpha. What a fool. He had thrown away the best thing that ever could have happened to him. The worst part of it was Nadyah had a feeling he had no idea he had done just that. It would occur to him in the coming weeks and she would have to make sure it didn’t sour the relationship between him and the princess. There was no telling what someone would do when they felt jealous and cheated.

The doors to the Throne Room swung open with trumpets sounding off in declaration of the arrival of the visiting nobility. Adelina placed her hands on the arms of her chair instead of in her lap as she normally would and pushed her shoulders back. Nadyah gave the princess a smile in approval. It was amazing how quickly Adelina had caught on. The tiny changes in her body language and confidence really made a fantastic difference and people were starting to notice.

The nobles waited at the threshold to be announced and received. Nadyah inspected those she could see and caught Giselle fidgeting in the corner of her eye. She could practically feel the heat of the queen’s split-second glare. Instantly Giselle stilled and straightened her back; arms stiffly on the arms of her own chair. The princess’s fingers tightened on the wood, her knuckles nearly white.

Watching Giselle as Elle had been fascinating. Nadyah could sense how dominant she was and could feel the pull of her rank demanding submission, but she had deferred to Adelina on most matters.

Adelina was the most submissive creature Nadyah had ever come across, but Adelina’s instincts were to take care of her family and her people. This drove her to serve in a way Nadyah had never seen before. There was still much of her princess’s personality she had to piece together. The genetic workup should fill in what Nadyah didn’t understand.

A tall, golden-haired male strode in with confidence. A smaller female was next to him identical in coloring. They stopped just before the raised dais right in front of Nadyah and Lord Hayden bowed as his sister, Lady Masha, curtseyed. She knew the queen favored Lord Hayden for a marriage to Princess Raena. The Avvis Archduchy was the strongest out of all the planets other than the Pedranus Countship.

Queen Adele leaned forward ever so slightly as the two rose. Lord Hayden was very handsome with his warm brown eyes and he was extremely polished. He was almost too handsome if that were even possible. Nadyah glanced quickly at Princess Raena and the blush on her cheeks confirmed she was at least attracted to him. Perhaps he would be king instead of archduke after all.

“The Avvis family thanks you for the invitation,” Lord Hayden said once he’d straightened. Light from the sun filtered through the plas-glass ceiling and Hayden’s golden hair glittered.

Nadyah thought the same honey-brown eyes made Masha simply gorgeous, a true competitor for her brother. None of the princes reacted to her presence. She was still young, maybe that was the reason for their disinterest. Lady Masha was slated to perform a dance for Adelina’s coming-of-age party. Things may change after that.

The King and Queen murmured their expected response. Then Lord Hayden and Lady Masha gave their gift and passed through to the side door, escorted by the palace guards to the large receiving room adjacent to the throne room. They would be served refreshments until the royal family could sit with them for dinner in the Great Hall.

The Lady Veri, heir to Priea Marquis, and her brother, Lord Alock, were announced next. She curtseyed low and thanked the royal family as well. Nadyah saw Lord Greyson smile at his children and they were indeed a wonder. Veri’s hair was a fantastic shade of deep teal. It amazed Nadyah her people had such lovely, natural colors. The aquamarine of her eyes sparkled at them all and she looked like something out of a myth. The Marquess was the true ruler of Priea and apparently didn’t feel the need to attend the festivities.

Nadyah watched Lady Veri closely. She was beautiful, but mysterious and perhaps a little dangerous. Nadyah could feel it coming off her in waves.

When she rose, Nadyah noticed the way Veri’s eyes lingered longest on Prince Asher and she mentally filed that morsel away to chew on later. Nadyah shifted ever so slightly and glanced at Asher. He couldn’t take his eyes off of the Lady of Priea while she gave the royal gift and then was escorted to the Great Hall with her brother, Alock.

Lord Marcel, the heir to the Ushanov Duchy, was announced next and he practically prowled into the room. His black hair and brown skin added to his intensity. He didn’t smile and his heavy eyebrows made him look as though he glowered at everyone and everything. His two brothers followed, Rashad and Raphael. The younger lords weren’t as intimidating and the same dark features looked absolutely delicious on them. Nadyah watched as they were escorted out and wondered about the heir to the Ushanov planet.

Of course, she knew how important each noble family was to the success of Draga. Without Ushanov, the galaxy wouldn’t have any of the items they all took for granted. The entire Draga galaxy sent raw materials to the Ushanov factories to be turned into usable products and they never quit producing. They shipped out finished products across the Draga galaxy and were vital to the farming planets, the armies, the space mines, and the shipyards.

Giselle squeezed Adelina’s hand as if to reassure her. Nadyah turned to watch the two of them. Out of all the royal children those two had the strongest bond. She hoped for her princess’s sake that would never change.

Then a petite woman with hair of fire entered the throne room with a pale man at her side. Nadyah recognized the two of them before they were announced, but was surprised to see them arrive together. A Scyrian was already at court, but she supposed it would make sense to send all eligible sons.

Lord Sirus was from the Countship of Scyria where his mother ruled. He was tall and brooding and glared at the entire court as he stayed close to Countess Joslynn of Pedranus. Her bright green eyes shone with laughter as she directed the tall lord next to her, fingers just barely on his elbow as they approached.

She curtseyed low and his bow was stiff, yet precise. Nadyah was able to see his scar up close. It ravaged his face and he was blind in one eye, yet she did not think it diminished his beauty at all. Sirus had hair so blond it was nearly white, with touches of yellow highlights. His piercing, ice blue eye missed nothing as he stood. He was tall and broad shouldered, and looked strong and safe – not terrifying as she’d heard some say.

From what the Spider had told her, Lord Sirus hadn’t responded to the royal invitation until the very last minute, declaring his attendance to the Choosing Ball. He rarely ever left the outer rim since he was kidnapped. There was even talk he’d planned to never leave his own Seat, but from the way the fiery woman handled him it seemed that would quickly change.

Adelina smiled at Lord Sirus and Nadyah wanted to laugh at the open look of surprise he gave her. Of course, her princess would not be afraid or disgusted by him or his scar. She was surprisingly a fantastic judge of character.

Lord Sirus turned back to the Countess Joslynn when the small female spoke. Her voice was musical and full of laughter. She was vibrant and so full of life Nadyah knew she would be a delight to have at court. “My King and Queen, I’ve brought a gift from Pedranus in tribute,” Lady Joslynn said, loud and clear.

Pedranus was rich in precious gems. The royal family leaned forward to watch as a man wearing a Scyrian Army uniform stepped forward with a box. He lifted the lid and displayed an ostrich egg-sized black opal. It burned in the velvet as the light struck it. The gem of Draga signified the rule of the Draga House. Nadyah couldn’t help her gasp. It was hard to believe the stone was so large and that Lady Joslynn had been able to find one at all. They were incredibly rare.

The king thanked Joslynn profusely. She simply smiled her secret smile and left with Lord Sirus at her side. Was he courting her? Nadyah assumed it might be the other way around. She had heard many things about the Pedranus noble and the most recent news was Joslynn’s people clamored for an heir.

Baron Kace and his wife the Baroness Lyria of Deytis were next with their daughter, Lady Lora. The heir to the barony, Leo had been at court for nearly a cycle now.

Then Lord Jaydon and his sister Lady Rory of the Barony and planet Seprilles were announced but a small commotion at the doors to the throne room drew her attention. The guards seemed distressed. As Lord Jaydon was quickly escorted out with barely a nod to acknowledge his bow and gift, Nadyah watched as Adelina’s guard – Alpha, frowned. Each of the guards had a simulcast implanted and tuned specifically to the scrambled cast of the palace. The chatter he heard over the cast must have concerned him as he took a step closer to Adelina.

Nadyah’s heart skipped a beat.

Slowly she slipped her hands in the pockets of her skirts and through the holes to wrap her fingers around the sharp blades strapped to her thighs. With a quick calculation, she decided it would take no more than two seconds to reach her princess’s side. A glance to Elara proved the older courtesan was just as prepared to protect the royal family.

Nadyah waited as she scanned the throne room for danger. Should they have the royals leave to be safe? The royal family seemed nervous as they watched the head butler have a furiously whispered conversation with the footmen at the door and then the butler rushed over to the king.

Before a decision could be made a man, she recognized from hours of studying the different noble families burst into the throne room with a small contingent of soldiers, all dressed for war. The uniform of the Treon army was a declaration to everyone in that room. Then the soldiers knelt in front of the king; a fist over their hearts in a show of loyalty to the Crown.

Lord Lucas stood first. His following words struck Nadyah like ice to the heart. “Your majesty, I arrived as quickly as I could. An attempt was made on my life; by my brother and father. We were involved in three more skirmishes on our way here from Treon. I came to warn you, to prepare you.”

The air was charged and tense. If he continued then everyone would know the threat of war was real, that it was imminent. The Draga galaxy was already giving way to the Neprijat. If they remained passive, if the king did nothing then the Neprijat would do to her princess what they did to Nash’s family and Nadyah refused to let that happen. She didn’t know what exactly she would do to prevent it, but Nadyah had to make a plan. She and the princesses already searched for answers to Nash’s questions, a battle plan wouldn’t be much more work.

Lucas didn’t look away from King Orion when he spoke, a true sign of bravery. “My father and brother have gone in league with the false king of Khara Prime.”

The whispers turned into a roar as each person voiced their own concerns. Finally, the king held up his hand and the silence was instant. “Thank you for the warning, Lord Lucas. I would ask that you and your men see to the butler for accommodations. Please cleanup for dinner and we will speak on the matter later. An emergency council meeting will be called to discuss our options and precautions.”

King Orion stood then and addressed his people. The strength Nadyah saw in him overshadowed his sickness and she was awed. “I want everyone here to know we will not stand idly by. We will not let them take and destroy what we’ve worked so hard to build. Precautions are already in place. Please, go to the Great Hall and remember this is still a time of celebration. We will not give in to fear.”

His words echoed and reverberated through the massive room. Prince Nash was the first to stand and bow. Nadyah couldn’t help but admire his fortitude and strength. The Corinthian male knew exactly what he was doing and what he needed to accomplish his goals. She would have to keep an eye on Nash as well. He already had Adelina halfway in love with him.

The nobles stood and followed Nash’s example. The king and queen rose and exited the throne room. They didn’t go into the Great Hall, but rather the small private parlor behind the throne room itself. Elara grabbed Nadyah’s arm and pulled her into the hallway. “Come with me,” she hissed.

Nadyah had barely spoken to the king’s mistress since she’d arrived at the palace, but she had seen how close she was to the royal family. They treated her as one of them. She was a mother to all the children and a fast companion to both the king and queen.

Elara dragged Nadyah through the hidden servant passages into a secret alcove covered by a thick tapestry.

“Elara, wha—” she was cut off by the other courtesan shushing her. Elara turned to the wall and slowly lifted a small flap. They both peered in and Nadyah saw the royal family sit down in the small parlor behind the throne room. “Do they know this is here?” she whispered, tuning her auditory implant again.

“Queen Adele knows, and so does the crown princess.”

Nadyah glanced at Elara. The former courtesan didn’t look a day over fifty cycles. There wasn’t a wrinkle to be seen or a grey hair. Most didn’t arrive until the second century, but court life could be stressful. She wondered how exactly Elara had become the personal mistress to the king. Had she been mated? No one spoke of it when she left the House to live at the palace. It had been a shock as the king and queen had a happy marriage and they were deeply in love. They still were, but as Nadyah watched her study Queen Adele with concern she wondered if it wasn’t something else entirely.

The king leaned against the mantle over the fireplace and stared into the embers of a dying fire.

Giselle paced as the silence stretched. “I said we needed to take action,” she ranted. Giselle filled the entire room and Adelina flinched at the break in protocol.

Was there even protocol in these private meetings?

“Yes, something needs to be done,” the king agreed slowly, frowning as he considered his strategy. “Raena and I will activate the defense shield during dinner. It will take weeks to fully surround the galaxy. Once it’s been sealed there will only be four entry points to the Draga galaxy and travel will be limited outside our own space. Any who wish to leave Draga space will need permission from the palace. This alone will give us time to make a plan to further protect our people.” The king then turned to face his family. His shoulders slumped and he looked sadly at Raena. “I’m sorry this falls to you. I will do everything to assist while I still can.”

The crown princess nodded; her face grave.

“We have a defense shield large enough to surround the entire galaxy?” Nadyah asked, quieter than the flap of butterfly wings. Why did no one know about this?

“King Beo commissioned the secret project after he pushed the Neprijat back to their ravaged galaxy the first time. He knew they would return one day.” Elara shrugged one exquisite shoulder delicately. “It was kept secret so no one could sell the information before it could be used. The chance someone would want to destroy it was too high.”

Nadyah pulled Elara down into a crouch. “How did you find this out? Did the king tell you or is it written? Are there records during King Beo’s war with the Neprijat?”

Elara gave her a curious look. “Of course, there are records, but they are kept in the private library. Only the royal family can access it. The library is keyed to the Draga genetics, not even Adele can go inside.”

She would have to warn Adelina to look there first. This was a task only the two princesses could do. Varan had already sent her a cast that morning to meet so he could transfer some intel he’d gathered. His network of spies was truly amazing.

Nadyah hadn’t gotten the courage up to visit Mistress Jael with her request after what had happened the last time she’d seen her. She would have to soon; things were progressing far faster than she had anticipated. They peered again into the private room and Raena stood with her father. “What if we send out a deployment now to ease the minds of our people? We can triple the warriors at each outpost in the outer rim.”

“That is outrageous. There are over a thousand outposts,” Asher protested. “We don’t have that many warriors.”

Raena shook her head. “If we concentrate on the outposts housing the power for the shield we can manage it. We will have to send out a call to arms for each planet to send their armies and warriors. It can’t be helped. This affects us all.”

Adelina was quiet. Nadyah was fascinated by her constantly shifting personality. The princess molded herself to whatever those around her needed. It was a curious strategy as even the younger princes held their dominance and spoke their minds. William was the only one out of all five who was the most like Adelina in manner and dominance. Prince William served, but he was a warrior through and through.

“Will I be sent out with this first wave? Someone should represent the royal family on the front lines and it might as well be me.”

Adelina winced at the suggestion. The way she looked at her youngest brother Nadyah knew that was the last thing her princess wanted. He was so young, almost too young to be in the army, but he was just barely old enough and the law was the law. Not even the Dragas were exempt.

King Orion shook his head. “We will first head to Treon and disburse justice to the traitors. I am not sure that should be you William. Unfortunately, your age and your dominance would not be enough.”

The prince hung his head and Nadyah felt terrible for him, but if her guess was correct this would finally be Giselle’s opportunity.

There was silence for a few seconds as the king let that thought settle in everyone’s minds. “Giselle, I know you’ve been talking about joining the Warrior’s Guild for cycles now. Would you mind taking point? All the details can be ironed out if this is what you wish.”

This was one of the last gifts he could give his second daughter. That knowledge weighed heavily on everyone and Giselle had tears in her eyes. “Yes, Father. It would be a dream come true.” She practically ran across the room to hug him fiercely.

Adelina smiled through her tears and Queen Adele looked unhappy, but there was nothing anyone else could say until Raena was queen. Nadyah doubted the crown princess would retract one of her father’s last commands.

“Let’s go,” Elara whispered, tugging on the sleeve of Nadyah’s dress. “You need to send a cast to the Spider about what you’ve heard. Protecting our galaxy is going to require everyone’s assistance. The royal family and their assets can’t do it alone.”

Nadyah followed Elara out of the alcove once the hallway was clear.

“Queen Adele has ordered me to guard the crown princess,” Elara said. “Her life is at risk now more than ever during the transition. Promise you will watch out for her as well?” The king’s mistress walked slightly ahead of Nadyah in the higher ranking position.

Princess Raena would always be in danger until her reign was secured with a child and successor. Nadyah would keep a wary eye out, but her main concern was Princess Adelina and always would be. “Of course, Mistress, enjoy your dinner.” Nadyah curtseyed and entered the Great Hall with thoughts of war on her mind.