Chapter 26
Elara’s POV
The library had become her sanctuary, but tonight it felt different—too quiet, as though the silence itself was listening. Elara sat at one of the long tables, parchment spread before her, though her eyes skimmed the words without taking them in. Her thoughts lingered on the near-constant tension in the palace: poisoned goblets, whispers in the corridors, and the constant awareness that she was watched.
She closed the book and rubbed her temples, weary. That was when she noticed it.
A folded piece of parchment lay tucked into the spine of the book she had just set aside. She hadn’t placed it there.
Her pulse quickened.
She glanced around the dim library—only shadows met her gaze. Slowly, cautiously, she slid the parchment free and unfolded it beneath the table.
