The Ranawat Palace lay wrapped in the velvet silence of midnight. Moonlight streamed through the massive windows of the bedroom. Kynat sat in the center of the massive bed, her back against the velvet headboard, a leather-bound book open in her lap. She had changed into a midnight blue silk nightgown—simple, elegant, the fabric cool against her skin. Her hair was loose, falling in soft waves past her shoulders, still slightly damp from her shower.

The door opened. Veer wheeled in, his masked face unreadable, his posture rigid. He moved into the room with his usual practiced grace, his eyes immediately finding her. She didn't look up. She could feel his gaze on her, heavy, intense, searching. But she kept her eyes fixed on the book, her expression carefully neutral. Veer narrowed his eyes. "So, this is the new routine? Pretending I don't exist?" His tone was cold, almost mocking. He expected at least a glance. But Kynat didn't move. She turned another page, as if he wasn't even there. "You think silence makes you stronger? It doesn't. It just makes you look pathetic."