MERIDA

After dinner, I made my way to our room. The grand halls were eerily quiet, the only sound the soft echo of my footsteps.

My mind was racing, replaying every moment of the evening. Lukan's sudden silence during dinner had been unsettling, his gaze distant and his posture tense. Whatever he had to say, it was heavy. I could feel it in my heart. The evening had been filled with so much suspense.

Too much of it.

When I pushed the door open, I saw him standing by the window, bathed in moonlight.

He stood so still, his hands behind him and I wondered what was going through his...