**Corset—Elephant Music**
"They're some battles you fight head on, and this disguised birthday banquet happens to be one of them."
The words of the Queen echoed in Ember's head as her attendants fitted her into a corset that would have otherwise stolen her breath if Syria and Aunt Nyra didn't teach her better.
Even as the fitting maids dragged the ropes of the corset until it fit her snugly like a second skin, Ember remained unflinching as her thoughts were filled with the first public appearance she would be making as Princess Royal after four years.
Everyone in Thalor knew that the Queen's only child was dealing with the symptoms of the illness that ailed her for so long a time. That was the story the Queen effortlessly sold to them—that Elara was still recovering. And with Healer Zak always at the Queen's quarters, they managed to sell that story well.
