Five

At dawn, Kamran endures a meticulous dressing by his valet, Sina, in mourning regalia signaling an heir awaiting coronation. A trembling snoda delivers The Daftar, whose headline blasts Zaal’s murder by Cyrus, Kamran’s injuries, and looming war. It also sensationalizes Alizeh, fueled by Miss Huda’s interview.

Kamran seethes at the timing and reach of the news, recognizing how it shapes public panic before he can respond. He assesses his reflection, exposing his refusal to wear gloves and revealing his Diviner-gifted gold mark has fractured into glowing veins across his body and through one eye, altering his appearance and unsettling his sense of legitimacy.

Haunted by exhaustion, grief, and suspicion, Kamran recalls Zahhak’s hours-long delay in fetching aid and the minister’s visible shock to find him alive, reading this as evidence of a plot to deny him the throne during the week before coronation.

As Sina withdraws, Kamran steels himself. With nobles likely to mobilize against him and the empire teetering after the ball’s disasters, he concludes time is short and determines his first decisive act: he must kill Hazan.