Chapter 108 - - 108
She arrived at the annex earlier than the aforementioned schedule. The building was still basked in darkness. With a deep breath, she slowly went up the steps; hands buried deep in her thin cardigan's pocket as she fished for the key she'd been given once before.
With the cool metal in her palm, she deftly inserted it into the knob, and twisted the door open. Even inside, only darkness greeted her back.
But it didn't scare Leyla as much as it did before. Not when she'd roamed these halls, enough that she could navigate through it even in the shadows.
She knew that even if she'd leave this place, this building would forever be embedded in the back of her mind, unable to shake the looming memory of them in these walls.
Calm eyes raked over the drawing-room once she arrived in it. She stood still in place, hands back in her pockets as she took the room in.
It was as beautiful, and as intimidating as ever. It also reminded her of that beautiful, and intricately designed cage the Duke had for his canary. Because, in some ways, she mirrored that small canary the Duke had raised.
She soon found herself sitting on the edge of the sofa; eyes trailed down on the tips of her toes. They swung back and forth beneath her, before the urge to get up, and move returned, and so she did, eventually finding herself outside on the balcony.
The cool night air, breezed through her face, making Leyla breathe in the fresh scent around her. It wasn't the same biting chill she felt whipping across her face when she first began this deal with the Duke.
It's only been a season since her life got pulled beneath her feet: just one, winter season. And yet so much has changed, and so much more will have to change after this.
Leyla took a step forward, her body moving automatically, and her hands left her pockets to grasp the cool surface of the balcony's railings in front of her. Her eyes trailed mesmerized on the shimmering waters of Schulther River.
The river had all but frozen over during the winter, but with spring around the corner, the ice had begun thawing off, to release the rushing waters beneath the ice. She never noticed how shiny they looked during the night, but perhaps that was because the moon was brighter tonight than before...