All Chapters of The Mate Games: Chapter 41 - Chapter 44

ALTHEAEven after I’m discharged from the hospital, I don’t leave my room for two days.The nurses have stopped checking in every hour, and I’m fully healed now. At least on the outside. Earlier this evening, a guard brought a note from Lady Ivanna which was sharp and cold, and whose contents was about “duty” and “decorum” and how if I don’t return to lessons soon, I’ll be marked as “resistant to training.”I’d crumpled the letter without reading the rest and toss it into the fireplace.Let it burn.Aaron still guards my door.He doesn’t speak. Doesn’t knock. He just stands there like a statue, his silence louder than any words. I can feel him through the walls—solid and steady, a weight pressing down on my chest. It’s like he’s punishing me by being close. Or maybe I’m punishing myself by not telling him to leave.By the third morning, I finally give in.I dress slowly. My fingers run over the soft sleeves of the new gown left by the maids. Pale blue. Elegant. Too nice for how I feel

ALTHEAI don’t move when the door opens.I’ve stopped expecting knocks. Mira and Elena have made it a habit to let me rest as long as possible, tiptoeing around me like I might break. And maybe I might. After everything that’s happened these past few days, I feel like glass—transparent, fragile, and just one wrong touch from shattering.But this morning feels different.They don’t go about their usual routine. They don’t light the incense, don’t draw back the curtains. They don’t even whisper to each other the way they sometimes do when they think I’m still asleep. Instead, they stand there. Still. Silent. Waiting.I roll over, the blanket tugging against my shoulder, and see them, Mira and Elena, holding a garment bag between them.“A new dress?” I mumble, voice still rough with sleep.Mira gives me a faint smile, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “Lady Althea,” she whispers, “it’s time to get dressed.”I blink slowly, rubbing my eyes. “I thought there was nothing planned today?”“There