The hour before midnight, the palace was already filled to the brim.

Having learned her lesson, Seraphira ensured the palace was crawling with guards even though it was a little too late for such caution. The damage had already been done.

In uncertain times like this, the overwhelming presence of the soldiers only made the common Fae uneasy. Yet none of them wanted to leave. They needed to see the execution with their own eyes.

The entire kingdom had been thrown into shock when the news broke that Baron had staged a rebellion. Not that the conflict itself was surprising. Baron and Seraphira had always been at each other’s throats. It had only been a matter of time before one of them fell.

Most had assumed it would be the queen.

She was the one dependent on Baron’s life force. What truly shocked them was that Seraphira survived, and the retaliation that followed.

The news of her killing the Fae females and children had spread across the realm, leaving the people shaken. This was not the queen they remembered. She had been kind, gentle, accommodating, not cold and ruthless.

So some came out of fear, unwilling to risk being mistaken as Baron’s sympathizers and facing the same fate. Others out of curiosity, eager to see with their own eyes that Baron had truly been reduced to nothing—and that their queen still lived.

"Things are about to change in the Free Fae realm," Violet muttered solemnly, her gaze fixed on the sea of people gathered below.

She sat on the roof of the palace, the night wind brushing against her skin. As always, Asher and Alaric stayed close, unwilling to leave her side, especially now she was pregnant.

She had been the one to fly them up there, but not without argument. Asher had insisted it was reckless, that carrying both of them could strain her, and affect the baby.

Violet had argued back just as fiercely. Being pregnant did not make her fragile. If she was powerful, then her child would be too. A simple task like that wouldn’t harm either of them.

In the end, she compromised by carrying them one after the other. She was still annoyed about it. If this was how things were going to be now, she could already tell there would be endless arguments over what she could and couldn’t do.

Violet let out a quiet sigh.

"I can’t help but feel guilty," she admitted, her voice calm now. "Leaving at a time like this. My mother... she needs someone strong enough to pull her back from whatever she’s becoming."

"The Free Fae was never your responsibility in the first place, baby girl," Asher said, seated beside her as he absently played with strands of her hair.

"I agree with him," Alaric supported. "If you remember, we weren’t brought here because they wanted to help you grow into a princess. They brought you here to confirm your identity."

Asher’s expression hardened. "She left you alone for eighteen years. You don’t owe her the burden of fixing what she chose to ignore."

Violet didn’t respond immediately. Asher reached for her chin, turning her face so she was looking at him.

"And..." he added quietly, his voice lowering, "I don’t do long distance. Especially not when we’re about to become parents."

The meaning was clear. He had a pack to lead and Violet was not meant to stay behind and face this alone.

Violet breathed out. "No, you’re right. Not to mention, we can’t leave Roman and Griffin behind. We have our own mess in the human realm. The Free Fae will have to handle this one on their own."

Even as she said it, they could tell she wasn’t at ease with that decision.

"The queen isn’t alone," Alaric reminded her. "She has Lila and Lord Taryn. He’s a good Fae. If the two of them aren’t enough to pull her back from whatever this is..." he paused, then said it anyway, "then maybe this is who she was always meant to be."

"Are you sure there were no side effects to the soul transfer?" Violet asked, her voice tighter now. "When you read about it?"

Alaric, scratched the back of his head. "I don’t remember reading anything like that. But then, I didn’t finish everything. The translating magic was giving me a terrible headache. Next time we come back here, I’ll just have to learn their language properly."

Violet stilled at that. She still hadn’t decided if there would even be a return to the Fae realm, not with how things stood between her and her mother. And especially not with the interest her mother had already shown in her unborn child.

She wouldn’t stop her children from embracing their Fae roots, but it would be their choice if any of them wanted to carry the heavy weight of ruling that kingdom.

It would not be forced on them.

Seeing the shift in her, Alaric quickly changed the subject.

"Zuru did mention something," he said. "The reason knowledge of soul transfer was hidden was to stop rulers from chasing immortality. Think about it, if someone like Seraphira decided she didn’t want to die, all she’d have to do is keep switching bodies. She could rule forever."

"Let’s hope that thought hasn’t crossed her mind," Asher’s tone was more serious now. "Because if it has, then both you and my heir are threats to her throne."

Violet felt the air leave her lungs.

"No," she said quickly. "My mother isn’t like that."

Asher raised a brow. "And you’re sure about that? Look at what she’s becoming already."

"We’re making assumptions," Violet argued. "Assumptions that might not even be true."

She exhaled. "Seraphira is just going through a lot. She was betrayed by her partner, killed, and brought back to life. No matter how you look at it, that’s bound to leave a scar on anyone’s soul."

Her voice lowered. "Let’s just give her time. With Lila and Lord Taryn around, I’m sure she’ll come around."

Violet hoped so because she didn’t want to imagine a future where she would have to stand against her own mother the way they would against Angus.

Wait. Violet paused, her thoughts catching on something.

"What if..." she started slowly, her voice slipping into the bond despite the fact they were alone. In the Fae realm, even the walls could listen. "What if it’s not just betrayal she’s feeling?"

Asher’s voice came immediately. "Where are you going with this?"

"What if she’s lonely?"

She pushed on before they could interrupt.

"In the stories, it said Seraphira’s soul suffered when she rejected the mate bond with Angus. She lost her mate and child and had no will to live, thus why she was tied to Baron’s life force to sustain her."

Her gaze drifted, unfocused. "But now that she has a new body. A reset. What if she misses her mate?"

Silence followed.

Violet knew how it sounded. She saw it on Asher’s face.

"I don’t like where this is going," he said flatly. "Are you suggesting we ignore the fact that Angus is a threat and just send him to your mother because she misses him?"

Violet threw her hands up, frustrated. "I don’t know!" she snapped aloud. "I’m just saying, what if there’s a way to keep him contained here? In the Fae realm. She gets what she wants, and he stays away from us. It could work."

"Even if that were somehow possible," Asher said, his tone firm but not unkind, "Angus is a psychopath. What makes you think he even misses his mate? Or that he’d want to be reunited with her if we spared him?"

Violet opened her mouth, but no words came.

Alaric was just as certain. "And even if, by some miracle, he did feel something for her, it wouldn’t matter. Angus has always had a taste for power. Look at what happened between Baron and Seraphira. Now imagine someone worse."

His gaze darkened slightly as he continued, "Angus wouldn’t stop at the Fae realm. If he gets control of it, he won’t sit quietly on that throne. He’ll use it. Build from it. And then he’ll come for the human realm. We can’t allow that to happen."

Silence settled between them, heavier this time.

Violet’s shoulders dropped slightly, the weight of their words sinking in. When she spoke, her voice was stripped of the earlier urgency.

"That was stupid," she muttered. "I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking straight."

"Hey," Asher cupped her face gently. "Don’t do that."

Before she could react, he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

"My sweet, kind purple queen," he murmured against her skin. "You just want the best for everyone. That’s not a flaw."

"It’s also exactly why you need us," Alaric said. "Someone has to balance that out before you start offering peace treaties to monsters."

That earned a small breath of laughter from Violet.

Then came the sound of a bell. It was time.