Chapter 41 Caelum

• The days that followed brought a sense of return to normalcy, but this normalcy came with a deep echo of thoughts I couldn’t simply push away. Routine resumed its place in my daily life. However, there was a lightness in my heart now that the antidote had been administered to Aria. The poison that had nearly taken her life was no longer an immediate threat, and with that, my chest no longer carried the same weight. Still, Aria lingered in my mind, like a shadow that wouldn’t fade, a ghost that whispered in moments of silence, leaving me restless, tormented by what could have been and what might still be.
• The light that entered through the window of the royal office, filtered by the long blue velvet curtains, bathed the room in a soft, almost melancholic hue. I was there, in the heart of the kingdom, but my thoughts were far away, beyond the borders of the capital. The soft sound of the keys beneath my fingers as I typed emails echoed through the vast room, but it was merely background noise to the thoughts that truly mattered.
• "Asher, tell me…" I interrupt my musings, my voice sounding more tired than I intended. "Is there anything urgent that needs to be addressed with the royal council in the coming days? Any event I should attend or any new law that needs my approval?"