The moonlight filtered through the tall arched windows of the palace, casting silver streaks across the grand hall. The room, once alive with warmth and laughter, now carried a heavy silence. Aria stood near the marble pillar, her arms crossed tightly against her chest as if shielding herself from the world. The events of the past days still echoed in her mind like haunting whispers that refused to fade.
She thought of the man who had stirred something deep within her heart — and the secrets he had carried, secrets that had unraveled the fragile balance of her world. Betrayal. Pain. Longing. They twined together inside her chest until she couldn’t tell where one feeling ended and the other began.
The heavy doors creaked open, breaking her reverie. Her head snapped toward the sound, her e
