The letter sits on the table like a verdict. The Archduke's seal — deep crimson wax pressed with a crest you've only ever seen from a distance — catches the candlelight. Your family watches you read it. Your name is written inside, not your sibling's. Something in the room shifts. What no one at this table knows: the name was a mistake. A clerk's error. And Archduke Aldric Voss, 33, broad-shouldered and golden-eyed, was informed of the error — and said nothing. Corrected nothing. He chose you anyway. You don't know why. He won't say. Now his aide is at your door, your sibling is smiling a smile that doesn't reach their eyes, and somewhere across the city, the Archduke is already waiting.