Elodie’s POV
The Missing Servant
The first thing I noticed was that Talia was gone. At first, I didn't think much of it. Palace servants came and went constantly. Some were transferred to different wings. Others were assigned to noble households. A few left entirely. It wasn't unusual. At least that was what I told myself. Then three days passed.
And Talia still hadn't returned. I sat in the dining room pushing food around my plate while Mira stood several feet away pretending not to watch me.
Pretending.
The female seemed to do a lot of pretending lately. Pretending she wasn't monitoring every bite I took. Pretending she wasn't reporting my movements to Nyra. Pretending she didn't become tense whenever I skipped a meal. The problem was that once I started noticing these things, I cou
