Angela had made it clear that the favor she wanted from Bessa was for her to accept the noble name.
And Bessa Sonder was not a joke of a name, either. The Sonder family was as old as the empire itself, one of the old houses that had witnessed the founder's oath with the Dragon Lord, their name etched into the very foundation stones of the capital.
Giving Bessa that name was not merely an honor, but a declaration. A banner raised over her head for all the world to see.
Now, standing before the full-length mirror, Bessa finally, objectively understood where the "beauty" Angela had spoken of had been hiding all along.
The reflection that stared back at her was a stranger. She was almost like a woman she had never met or imagined.
