Chapter 180: Her Name Is Rowan

Morgana’s entire expression shifted.

Her eyes widened, the dull exhaustion of the day giving way to a spark of something brighter, something that was pure hope and excitement. The possibility of having a request granted by one of the kings, the possibility of asking for something she actually wanted, the possibility of having power in this moment.....it was intoxicating.

"Anything, Your Majesty?" she asked, and there was urgency in her voice, urgency and hope mixing together.

Kaelen smiled, the expression transforming his face from the intense predator she had seen into something almost gentle, almost human.

"Anything you want, Morgana," he said.

Morgana opened her mouth and accepted the spoon.

She swallowed the food carefully, ensuring that every bit of it was consumed, because she wanted to earn this favor fully, completely, without question. She reached for her water and took a long drink, her mind already racing through possibilities.

Draeven was watching her with what might have been amusement. Thorne was observing with his usual strategic stillness, his dark eyes tracking everything that was happening. And Kaelen was watching her face with an intensity that suggested he was genuinely interested in whatever she might request.

Morgana turned to face Kaelen fully, gathering her courage.

"Since you said I could ask for anything," she began, her voice nervous but determined, "I would like to request something."

Her hands intertwined in her lap, her fingers fidgeting with the fabric of her gown. She looked down at them, then back up to Kaelen, pushing through the vulnerability of actually speaking her desire aloud:

"I would like to request a female servant to be assigned to me as my maid."

Kaelen’s expression did not change, but something shifted in his pale eyes.

"Do you have any creature or human in mind, Morgana?" he asked, his voice gentle but serious.

Morgana shook her head vigorously.

"Yes, Your Majesty. She is human. Her name is Rowan. She works in the kitchen. She is my friend. We came to the palace together."

She looked down again, waiting for his response, uncertain whether such a request would be granted.

Kaelen’s hand came up.

His fingers gently raised her chin, forcing her to look into his pale eyes.

"Since you want her," Kaelen said, his voice dropping to something soft and intimate that was meant only for her ears, "we will have her assigned to your chambers as your maid."

Morgana’s eyes widened.

"Really, Your Majesty?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, unable to fully believe that the request was being granted.

Kaelen shook his head gently, his pale eyes holding hers.

"Yes, Morgana. You can have her."

Morgana felt something in her chest expand, felt joy and relief and gratitude all mixing together into an emotion that was almost overwhelming.

"Thank you," she said softly. "Thank you so much, Your Majesty."

Kaelen released her chin, and Morgana turned to thank Draeven and Thorne as well, but Draeven was already speaking:

"You can return to your chambers now, Morgana. We will have the servant sent to you this night."

The command was gentle but absolute. The dinner was ending. Morgana was being dismissed, but with the promise that what she had asked for would be delivered.

She stood, her movements careful, her gratitude expressed both in words and in the grace with which she conducted herself.

"Thank you for dinner," she said to all three of them. "And for everything."

She moved toward the door, her heart light, her mind spinning with the knowledge that Rowan would be hers, that her best friend would be in her chambers when she returned.

She reached the door and paused for just a moment, turning back to look at the three kings one more time.

Kaelen was watching her with an expression that suggested satisfaction mixed with something deeper.

Then she opened the door and stepped out into the corridor.

The door closed behind her.

***

The door closed behind Morgana with a soft but definitive sound.

Her footsteps echoed in the corridor beyond, moving away from the chamber, fading gradually until there was only silence. The three kings remained at the table, and in that silence, something changed in the air of the chamber.

The intimacy was gone.

What had been a space where care and possession mingled, where gentle touches and soft words held weight and meaning, transformed into something else entirely.

Draeven set down his wine glass with deliberate care.

Thorne leaned back in his chair, his dark eyes becoming more observant.

Kaelen’s pale eyes lost some of their softness, hardening into something sharper, more focused.

Kaelen set down his fork, his pale eyes fixed on Draeven.

"It is time to call off the Selection."

Draeven did not immediately respond.

But his golden eyes showed that he had been thinking the same thing, that his mind had already traveled to this conclusion, that Kaelen was simply speaking aloud what all three of them had already decided on.

The Selection had served its purpose....or more accurately, it had failed to serve any purpose. The noble daughters who remained were not worthy of the kings’ consideration. And more importantly, they had just demonstrated their true nature by attempting to manipulate Morgana, by offering bribes, by suggesting that she could be used as a tool to influence royal decisions.

"It has dragged on too long," Kaelen continued, his voice steady. "It serves no purpose. The noble daughters have shown us exactly what they are....desperate, manipulative, willing to compromise their honor for advantage."

He paused, and then his voice became harder.

"And they were willing to attempt to use Morgana against us. That alone is reason enough to end this farce."

Draeven nodded slowly.

His golden eyes held Kaelen’s pale gaze for a moment, and in that silent communication was complete agreement, complete understanding, complete alignment on what needed to happen.

"Indeed," Draeven said, his voice carrying the weight of the First King. "It is time. It has gone on for too long already."