Nora's POVIt's been two weeks since I was banished and Alpha Fauz hadn't come to see me, not once. Not a message, not a summon. Not even a passing presence.The first few days, I had found myself glancing at the doors at the slightest sound, listening for footsteps that never came, convincing myself that he would appear, if not to apologize, then at least to explain. But time had a way of stripping away false hope.By the end of the first week, I stopped waiting.By the second, I stopped expecting, and now, I simply existed.The routines of the Cold Palace had settled around me like a second skin. I woke, I ate, I read the few books available, I walked the confined courtyard under watchful eyes, and I returned to my chambers before dusk.Lila had withdrawn as well. She was still there, still present within me, but quieter than before, watching, waiting, and conserving her strength as though she sensed something I could not yet name.I had just finished my breakfast. I could hardly ea
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