I don’t belong here.
No matter how many times Kael told me I did…
The palace kept reminding me that I didn’t.
The words “DON’T COME” haunted me all night.
I barely slept.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the black ink spreading across the ancient map.
Someone knew we had found it.
Someone was watching us.
The next morning, Kael left early for a meeting with his generals.
Before leaving, he stopped outside my room.
“I’ll be back before lunch.”
I nodded.
“Try not to disappear.”
I smiled weakly.
“I’ll try.”
He looked at me for a moment, as if he wanted to say something else.
Instead, he simply turned and walked away.
I decided to clear my mind by walking through the palace gardens.
This time, two guards followed a few steps behind me.
Kael had insisted.
“I don’t need gua
