Chapter three hundred and twenty two.

Eva's POV.

By the time the sound of the council bell faded, the sky had already turned the colour of deep iron. From the balcony outside my rooms I could see the torches being lit along the palace wall, one after another, small blooms of fire pushing back the dusk. I knew where he was. The elders’ chamber always left the same look on his face when he returned... like a man who had been staring at the heart of a storm too long.

I stayed near the window until I heard the door open.

Nicklaus came in without a word, closing the door behind him with a slow click. His cloak was damp at the hem and the air around him still carried the chill of his usual state after each meeting with the elders.

“Did they listen?” I asked softly.

He gave a small, humorless laugh and started unfastening the clasps of his cloak. “They listened. Whether they understood, that’s another matter.”

He hung the cloak on the stand by the fire and stood for a moment, staring into the flames. The golden light traced the