Delphine pov
The cold bit into my skin as I pressed myself into the corner of the damp, moldy cell, my back scraping against the rough stone walls. It had been days—maybe weeks. Time had blurred into one endless cycle of pain and exhaustion. My body ached in places I didn’t even know could hurt. Every muscle screamed in protest, my stomach gnawed with hunger, and my throat was dry as if I’d swallowed sand. I had no idea where I was or why I was here.
The “why” echoed in my mind every time I closed my eyes. Why do they want me here? What could they possibly want from me? But the one thing I did know was that I couldn’t ask. Not the man they called “Lord.” Not the guards who followed his every word like they were slaves to his will. Those men were as cruel as he was, maybe even worse. I ha
