Melody

The echoes of the court still lingered in my mind as I made my way through the winding halls of Mallory Palace, my thoughts fixed on Zoraya.

The court session had dragged on far longer than I anticipated, my advisors hounding me with endless reports and squabbles. But throughout it all, my heart remained elsewhere, tugged back to that small, quiet room where Zoraya lay recovering.

I had left her reluctantly, her pale face still vivid in my mind, her breathing shallow but steady as ...