Chapter 88

• Alera’s Pov
• With the sun high above, I found myself enveloped in a silence heavy with unspoken words. Even the maids paused as I passed, their eyes lingering, not with concern, but with a distant sympathy that cut deeper than any blade. I kept my head down, forcing every step measured and steady as I navigated the corridor. Sarcasm danced behind their lifted brows; pity shone in eyes that whispered, She’s lost her King’s affection. It stung.
• I remembered the warmth of home, Lira’s small cottage deep in the forest where tired shoulders could collapse in safety. Here, on the archaic tile of the palace, I felt brittle. Betrayal clung to me sharper than ivy to old stones.