Chapter 9 The Weight of Tomorrow

~VALERIE’S POV~

The second my bruised body hit the thin, lumpy mattress of the servant's quarters, pure exhaustion swallowed me whole, dragging me down into the dark. My back ached with a deep, persistent throb that radiated from the base of my spine all the way up to my shoulders. My legs felt like dead weight, heavy and useless after the brutal day I had just survived. I buried my face into the