Chapter 149: Jolt of sadness
We rush toward the town, spurring our horses faster as the urgency grips me. The teenage girl’s words echo in my mind—those men in guard attire had come, dragged Noelle, Mona, and Ben away without mercy, tearing them from the life they had built here. The villagers were threatened into silence, their fear palpable, and my blood boils at the thought of it. Who could do something so vile, so cold-hearted?
I have a suspicion. I can feel it in my gut—the person behind this is the same one who burned down the Church of Elaris, wasting my time and my efforts for over a year. It all points back to them. I don’t know who they are, not yet.
The fury builds within me, and all I can think about is finding this bastard, this coward who hides behind guards and shadows. I won’t rest until I do. They’ve taken too much already. Noelle, Mona, and Ben—none of them deserve this, and neither will I.
I don’t know who you are, I think, clenching my jaw. But I’m going to find you.
***
I look at myself in the mirror after the servants finish with my makeup, their hands working meticulously to transform me. I chose a dull brown color scheme today—bland, unflattering, but it’s the only rebellion I can manage. It’s the smallest form of defiance, and it’s all I’ve got.
I hate the reflection staring back at me. The jewels adorning my body, claimed by the king as belonging to my mother, feel like shackles. Mother, did you feel suffocated by these too? I think to myself, the question bitter and unanswerable. Maybe that’s why you left. It’s hard to swallow the truth, but I can’t deny it anymore. My daughter and I, we’ve ended up in the same cage you once fled from. It’s tragic irony.
My hand brushes the star pinned to my collar, the jewel calms me. The king tried, of course to remove the collar from my neck, but it clings to me stubbornly, like the bond I share with Thorne, Bishop Grace did say the strength of the collar is a reflection of the bond of the couple, a comforting thought that not a soul would remove Thorne’s claim on me.
I breathe deeply, pushing my emotions down and gathering the strength I’ll need to face what’s next. The tightness in my chest doesn’t loosen, but I suppress it. One more step. Just one more.