Chapter 6: Rumors in the Wind
The next morning, the villa was quieter than usual. The noblewoman had left with her son just before dawn, whispering tearful thanks as they rode away in a small, creaky carriage.
Elric watched them disappear down the dirt path.
"They'll talk," he said simply.
Lira glanced up from the floor where she was scrubbing herbs. "About what?"
"That the 'mad prince' healed a dying child without a single spell."
She paused, hand tightening on the brush. "You don't want them to talk?"
"I didn't say that."
Elric turned toward the rising sun, golden light painting the tips of the trees.
"I just want to control what they say."
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By midday, a new face arrived at the gates—a young peasant woman clutching her arm, bandaged poorly with torn cloth and dried leaves. Lira opened the door, startled.