Previously: Gideon learned from Felix that his mother might still be alive. Meanwhile, the Queen shared a sinister dinner with Prince Valerian.
The fire in Lina’s chamber had burned low, casting dancing shadows across the stone walls as she sat in her wicker chair, staring into the dying flames. Each flicker seemed to mirror her own dwindling hope, as she found a bitter comfort in watching something else slowly fade away.
A knock at the door interrupted her melancholy reverie. Lina glanced dismissively toward the sound, then returned her gaze to the fire as if the interruption were beneath her notice.
When the knock came again, more insistent this time, she released a heavy sigh that seemed to carry the weight of all her captivity. Rising reluctantly, she walked to the door and swung it open to find Prince Valerian standing in the hallway.
The prince looked at her with an expression of appraisal, as if seeing her for the first time. There was something different about him—a coldness that hadn’t been there before.
“What?” Lina asked, impatience coloring her voice.
Prince Valerian squinted at her, then tilted his head slightly, studying her with the detached interest of someone examining an unfamiliar specimen.
“I’m here to escort you to our quarters.”
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