She swept into the roadside inn beside the orchard, leaving the patrons stunned into silence—no one dared to speak. Sipping her cordial from a crystal goblet, she surveyed the room with a piercing, violet gaze. Her face betrayed nothing. Her status was her shield, her power—her weapon. No one would suspect that somewhere deep inside, maternal feelings might be hiding. After all, she hadn’t come here to look for just anyone…