NOVA
Landon gestures for me to take a seat in one of the chairs arranged on terrace, his expression sympathetic as he settles down beside me. “Let’s have a little chat, shall we?” he says gently, his voice a welcome reprieve from the chaos that has consumed my mind.
I nod, grateful for his calming presence as I take a deep breath, willing myself to relax in the midst of the turmoil swirling around me. He calls on one of the maids and instructs her to prepare a popular northern snack for me. The maid nods and walks away.
“Are you still hurting?” I nod, unable to utter a word.
“Let me see that,” he takes out his kerchief and cleans out the bloodstains from the bruises on my skin. Not long after the maid returns with my snack. Coincidentally, it was the same snack I had last night.
I ni
