Kelen’s back ached, but he didn’t stop. Vela sat strapped to a wooden chair tied to his shoulders like a heavy schoolbag, her arms gripping the sides, silent the whole way. The chair was old, its wooden arms dug into his back, his shoulders burned, his legs shook, but it held. That was all that mattered.

By the time they reached the gates of the Talin estate, the sky was black, the air cold and still. The gates loomed high above them.

Kelen knocked once, then again, louder. The gate creaked open, and an old man stepped out, squinting into the dark.

“Who…?” the old man asked, stepping closer. “Is that… is that the young mistress?”

“Yes, Old Master,” Kelen said, his voice hoarse. He could barely stand. “She’s back.”

The old man froze. Then without another word, he turned and hurried off faster than Kelen thought possible for someone his age.

A few moments later, Maid Yelina arrived with two servants and a lantern in her hand. Her eyes narrowed when she saw Vela tied to Kelen’s back.

“Bring them in,” she said quickly, waving them through.

Kelen took three shaky steps, then his knees gave out. He landed hard on one side, gasping. The servants rushed to lift Vela off him and carry her inside. Yelina grabbed Vela’s arm, holding her steady.

“Come, young mistress,” she said, not unkindly. “Let me go and tell Madam you’ve arrived.”

Vela said nothing.

She’d never left her father’s house before. Not like this. And now she stood in the middle of a strange place, one meant to be her new home, with no family, no name, and no peace. Her feet ached, her dress was ruined, her chest was heavy. She felt like someone had reached into her body and pulled out every last bit of air.

Yelina led her through the halls and brought her into a guest room. “Wait here,” she said, then left.

Vela sat on the edge of the bed, looking around the room with blank eyes. The walls were carved with old symbols and polished wood. The bedsheets were red. Candles flickered. It was all beautiful, but nothing felt warm. The air felt heavy, like the silence before a storm.

Far across the estate, in the statue room where the tall bronze figure of Chancellor Talin stood surrounded by candles and curling incense, Madam Ta knelt. She sat quietly, eyes half-shut, whispering to the statue like it could hear her.

Yelina stepped in and paused, bowing her head. “Mistress.”

“You may speak,” Madam Ta said, still facing the statue.

Yelina stepped closer and bent low, whispering, “The young mistress is here. Her servant brought her.”

Madam Ta’s eyes opened slowly. “Prepare a meal for her. I’ll come shortly.”

She rose, her movements slow and deliberate. She didn’t show surprise. Only calm.

“And give that servant clean clothes,” she added. “He would be smelling like he wrestled a pig in a sewer.”

Yelina nodded and left. She found Kelen sitting near the servant chambers, his head resting against the wall, eyes half-shut.

She dropped a bundle of folded cloth into his lap. “Wear that. And for the love of all things sacred, stop smelling like a curse.”

Kelen opened the bundle, “Thank you”

Yelina pointed to a horse shed, “ that is where you will be staying”

. “This is hard than I thought,” he muttered, eyeing the dusty corner where bags of horse feed were stacked.

Yelina rolled her eyes. “You can clean it. Or sleep outside. You already look like someone who got kicked out of a gambling house.”

Kelen let out a tired sigh and took the clothes without argument. He knew already this place wasn’t going to be easy.

Meanwhile, Vela had opened her small cloth bundle. Inside were the things she brought from home: ginger root, dried bitter leaf, powdered balm, salt stones, a small porcelain bowl. Her healing things. She took them out one by one, wiping them clean with her scarf and arranging them gently on the floor. Her hands shook, but she tried to breathe. She tried to find something in herself that still felt like home.

Then footsteps came. She quickly pushed everything aside.

The door opened.

Madam Ta entered first. Her expression didn’t change. Behind her, Yelina and another maid carried in a wide calabash covered in white cloth. They placed it down carefully.

“Leave us,” Madam Ta said to the maid, who bowed and slipped out.

She turned to Vela.

“Take off your clothes.”

Vela stared at her. “What?”

“I said take off your clothes.”

“No,” Vela whispered, stepping back. “Please… no.”

Yelina stepped forward and slapped her hand away. “Do what the mistress says. It’s for your good.”

Vela’s hands trembled. She held her robe close, then slowly, carefully, loosened the fabric and pulled it down. She stood there, naked, her arms crossed over her chest, her body shaking.

Madam Ta didn’t blink. She moved around her once, opened the calabash, and pulled out bundles of mint, a bowl of dark oil, sharp sticks, and a small burning lantern with a blue flame. The scent of crushed herbs and metal filled the room.

Vela flinched. “What… what is all this?”

“A purity test,” Madam Ta said flatly.

“No—”

Yelina grabbed her arms from behind and held her in place.

Vela screamed.

Madam Ta dipped one of the mint bundles in the oil and rubbed it deep between Vela’s legs. The burning was instant. Tears filled Vela’s eyes. She screamed again, struggling, but Yelina covered her mouth.

The second test came, a thin metal rod, pressed between. Vela twisted in pain, her knees buckling, her heart racing so hard she thought it might stop.

By the time it was done, she was shaking all over, curled on the floor, sweat covering her back.

MMadam Ta crouched down and looked her over. She nodded.

“She’s untouched.”

She stood and dusted her hands off as if she’d just finished examining a horse. “Good. Don’t ever mention the bandits. Not to anyone.”

Vela didn’t speak. She couldn’t. Her voice was gone. She lay curled on the cold floor, covering herself with her arms.

As she left the room, Madam Ta turned to Yelina and said, “Start preparations. The wedding will proceed.”

“Yes, Mistress,” Yelina answered quietly.

They walked out, leaving Vela alone.

The door closed.

And Vela began to cry—loud, aching sobs that echoed into the stillness of the room. She had never imagined anything could hurt this much.

And it was only her first night there.