Hana's POV – One Month Later
It was a month—four weeks, to be exact—since I last witnessed Alpha Stephen. Since that peculiar, passionate day spent with him, the castle has remained subdued for me. My universe had narrowed to the proportions of my quarters and the occasional meandering walk in the palace gardens. I painted most of the time, sweeping pigment onto canvas in a bid to pacify the turmoil within my mind. Ann was my constant companion, her smiling face and soothing voice a comforting respite from my otherwise isolating routine.
Every day, I would wake up with the sun pouring golden streams through the high windows, heating the wooden floor under my feet. In those peaceful hours, I found solace, inhaling fresh air filled with the fragrance of flowers blooming outside in the gard
