Chapter 72: The Silent Offering
The carriage moved slowly through the quiet morning streets of the capital, heading towards the road that led back to Svetlana. It was still very early. The sun had only just begun to rise, casting a soft pale light on the cobbled roads. Stalls were just opening. Some shopkeepers yawned as they lifted their shutters. A few carts passed, carrying bread or hay. But mostly, the streets were empty.
Inside the carriage, everything was still.
Lydia sat with her hands on her lap, her fingers twisting the fabric of her gown. Her eyes stared at nothing. She looked calm on the outside, but her mind was far from quiet. Thoughts kept swirling in her head, each one crashing into the next like waves.
She kept thinking about Ivan’s face when Vladimir apologized. The anger in his voice. The pain in his eyes. And then Olga. Her soft smile. Her calm threat. You will keep your promise, right? I expect a report by month end.
The words rang over and over again in Lydia’s ears. Her chest felt tight.
And then there was Irina. That brief moment in the corridor days before—her cold voice, her warning. You don’t know what you’re doing. Be careful who you trust.
Lydia’s fingers curled tighter into her lap.
What was she going to do? If she kept her promise to Olga, she would betray Ivan. If she didn’t, she would break her word and risk everything. Could she even escape all this? Run far away?
She had no money. No friends she could trust. No place to go. She felt trapped. Like a bird in a golden cage, dressed in silk but still chained.
Across from her, Ivan sat in silence.
He had noticed something was wrong the moment they left the palace. Lydia hadn’t said a word. Not even when he helped her into the carriage. Her face was pale. Her eyes looked distant, lost in a world of her own. He wanted to ask what was wrong. He wanted to tell her that if something was bothering her, she could tell him. That he would listen.