Liliette stood in the doorway, looking like a hollow shell of a person. Water dripped steadily from her cloak, pooling into a small puddle at her feet. Her vibrant green eyes, once so full of life, now carried the emptiness of a skeleton. Yet, despite the gravity of the moment, she felt nothing—no pain, no regret.
“What does Father want?”
How can I ensure that neither Dandelion nor the villagers are harmed?
The question remained unspoken, but it weighed heavily in the air between them.
Liliette’s thoughts turned to Dandelion. Beneath her determination to protect her helpless younger brother lay another resolve, hidden so deep within her that even she didn’t fully grasp it: she had to sever him from their father’s grasp, for he was the chain shackling her to this life. The castle of dreams she had carefully constructed, brick by brick, had silently crumbled into a desolate heap, swallowing her hopes in its mire.
“Answer me, Rocky.”
