**
~Katrina~
My heart pounded as I heard the words from Princess Rania. Was she trying to ruin my night? Why would she say that?
I knew Fortuna wouldn't send me to the king unless it served her purpose. She never did anything without a reason. If she wanted me in Karl's bed, it meant danger was waiting for me there.
Tonight, Karl had been a different man. The way he spilled blood in the arena—merciless, unshaken—was not the Karl I knew. He terrified everyone, including me.
And I had rejected his gift earlier. Marissa said he wasn't pleased. What would he do to me now?
I forced a smile. "I think you misheard Queen Fortuna. There's no way she would send me to the king. You must be mistaken."
Rania sat on my sofa, her dark aura eerily similar to her brother's. "Aren't you Katrina?" she asked, tilting her head. "There's no other Katrina in the palace, or in all of Xylonia. So tell me, how am I mistaken?"
