Elia's world froze.She swallowed hard, her face carefully neutral, though inside her heart screamed. Bowing low, she murmured her farewell and hurried away, her steps quick, her breath uneven.The image burned into her mind…the scar, the hunter’s words and the chilling truth she dared not speak aloud.…After tea in the garden with Luna Mira, something about Elia changed.Mira noticed it first in the silence. The girl, who was once quick to brighten a room with her innocent chatter about herbs, now spoke only when spoken to. Her steps had changed, she walked lightly, almost fearfully, as if the very stones of the fortress listened for her steps. And then there was the avoidance, the way she folded herself out of places Mira lingered. If Luna Mira lingered in a corridor, Elia would find another path. If chances were slim and their paths did cross, she lowered her eyes too quickly, her words sharp and brief.At first, Mira had let it pass, content to watch from the corners. But silenc
Last Updated : 2025-09-28 Read more