The imperial carriage rocked gently as it traveled along the well-maintained road toward the Meskevela duchy. Princess Liana sat with perfect posture despite the weeks of travel, her silver hair immaculately arranged and her emerald traveling dress unwrinkled. Seven months of preparation had led to this moment.
"We should arrive before sunset, Your Highness," one of her attendants said, glancing out the window at the changing landscape.
Liana nodded, her silver eyes revealing nothing of her thoughts. The imperial decree had summoned Luan Meskevela back early from his year away, and now she was being delivered to him like a precisely timed gift. Her mother's plans were always meticulous.
"Tell me again what we know about him, Anna," she said, though she had memorized every detail weeks ago. It helped to hear the information spoken aloud, to search for nuances she might have missed.
