Leopold stood motionless in the empty front hall, smothered under a crushing, all-consuming wave of loneliness and desolation that left him gasping for air.
His fingers curled slightly as he turned slowly, just in time to see George carry Gisela's lifeless body step by step out of the Lancaster family's ancient castle.
*****
Meanwhile, at the Marquis Marshal's residence.
Anastasia slowly came to after passing out.
The second her consciousness clicked into place, she shot upright, ignoring her body's screaming weakness as she made to bolt out the door, muttering over and over under her breath. "Gisela, I have to find her.”
The maid attending her in the room paled in shock, darting to the door at once and blocking her path firmly. "Madam, you just woke up, your body's still incredibly
