“Your Majesty, are we waiting for anyone else?” The High Priest’s pleasant voice brought Yulien back to the present. He was just about to look around in disorientation but fortunately stopped himself just in time.
He couldn’t afford to look distracted or distraught.
He couldn’t afford to look heartbroken and lost.
He couldn’t afford to look hesitant or weak.
Not for a second.
“No, we can proceed,” Yulien replied quietly, afraid that if he spoke too loud, someone might notice the trembling in his voice. He had thought that time would make this suffocating feeling go away, but even after a week had passed since Arina’s death, he still felt it just as keenly.
The High Priest studied the grand, heavily ornamented, yet eerily empty temple located in the heart of the Imperial Palace, whi
