Chapter 104
Pearl
I stretched out my hands as I stepped out of the bathroom. It was a Friday morning, a day to the coronation and I didn't even know if I was happy or not.
The steam from the bathroom swirled around me, the morning light filtering through the windows as I stepped out, the scent of lavender and citrus wafting in the air.
The day was crisp and clear, the birds chirping outside a reminder of the beauty of the world beyond the palace walls.
And yet, the weight of the coronation hung over me like a shadow, casting a gloom over the day's proceedings.
I just finished freshening up and Ivan was not in the room, in fact, I've not seen him since yesterday and I was glad he did not show up.
The absence of Ivan's presence was a small mercy, a brief respite from the intensity of
