The hall seemed brighter than James's rooms, though the feeling of impending death did not leave me. As I moved toward my own room, servants passed me, avoiding me as always. I did not mind. James was the only person who made me feel like I was part of the family. It was only he and Cedric that gave me a sense of belonging in this castle.

A baby's cry echoed as I reached the end of the hall. I grimaced, then smoothed my face. It was not baby Michael's fault that James would soon die. James was born sickly, while his twin Amber was born completely healthy. The twin's mother died in childbirth, and from what I understood, Duke Roland did everything in his power to keep James alive. James was the heir after all.

And James did live. But his health was never better than poor. Duke Roland petitioned King Stephan for a new wife, desperate to get himself an heir, but as Roland's first wife was a sister to King Stephan, the king denied the duke's request.

I never did understand that. Women died from childbirth far too often, and men often remarried quite quickly.

Eventually, Duke Roland began to groom Amber to be duchess after her father was gone. It was never known when James would pass, and Amber had the aptitude for learning, the guts for administration, and the grace that nobles needed. She was the perfect heir except that she was girl. And though she was expected to inherit all from Duke Roland, he still wanted a healthy son.

King Stephan finally granted Roland's wish for a new wife, and that was where my mother and I entered the picture. My mother was said to be the prettiest woman in the duchy, and as the king had limited Roland to women from only his own lands, Roland chose her to be his wife.

Mother was given no choice in the matter, but she was not the kind of woman who would have said no. In fact, from what I had been told back when we were merely peasants, my mother never said no to any man. And though most people would look down on such behavior, she was a beautiful woman, and few people could stay angry with her long.

At first, I was told I would not be joining mother and her new family in the castle, but someone convinced Duke Roland that acknowledging me as his daughter would show his people goodwill. He did not like the idea, especially since my true father's identity was unknown, but in the end, Roland did it. He announced mother as his wife, and me as his youngest daughter.

Michael's nurse ran from his room and spotted me. "Sofia, go watch Lord Michael," she ordered.

"I haven't slept-"

"Neither has he!" she cut me off and hurried down the hall the other way.

Rolling my eyes, I entered Michael's room and peered over the side of the cradle. For such a small thing, he screamed loudly. "If only James had half the lungs you have," I said to him, then glanced around to make sure we were alone. He was only a few weeks old, and it was as if once he was born, James began to let go. This made me angry with the tiny baby in front of me and I reminded myself again that this was not his fault.

I lifted him from the cradle and lay his head in the crook of my neck. "Shhh. Shhhh." He did not quiet, so I began to sing strings of silly words, trying to make rhymes and trying to be gentle, while walking back and forth through the nursery. In minutes, he was asleep. I stopped singing, but kept the pacing, afraid he would begin to scream again.

The labor had been hard on mother. Some said she was too old to be having another child, others said the Duke was cursed. She lived, though she was currently bedridden. I was only allowed to see her once since Michael had been born, and from what I was told, the same was true for her baby boy. He had a nurse and servants dedicated to him.

This, too, made me angry. James had only Cedric and me. It had been that way for years. In fact, I believed the only reason James and I had become so close was because Roland wanted me out of the way. Though he had publicly announced I was his daughter at the beginning, I was immediately relegated to caring for James, spending time with him, playing with him, caring for him. It was as if he and I had grown up together the last five years.

It was through James that I had met Cedric. Cedric was bold and tried to cure James in so many ways. Other wizards would never have bothered, but Cedric had a thirst for success and James had a thirst for his father's approval. They were both still thirsting.

Michael's nurse came in then, and gave me a suspicious look. "What do you do that makes him shut up?" she asked. I shrugged and moved to lay him down again. He stayed asleep and I hurried out the door, anxious to get to my own room and have a nap.