Chapter 273

The first day without Dante felt like losing sunlight.

The castle still looked the same — stone walls, watchtowers, the steady beat of guards’ boots — but everything was strangely hollow, like someone had scooped out the warmth and left only the echo of where he used to stand.

Lyrra brought more tea than I could drink.

Mirella checked the windows so often the hinges creaked.

Aethel paced like a ca