Ranio’s POV
The weight of the past few days settled heavily on my chest as I sat in my room, nursing a glass of wine. I couldn't stop thinking about Lyra. The attack on her had shaken me to my core, and now, she had gone ahead and made Martin her bodyguard.
Martin, I thought bitterly, swirling the wine in my glass. Of all people.
I had planned on giving her Rex, my most trusted guard, someone who had been by my side for years. But she made her choice, and I had to respect it, even if it bothered me more than I wanted to admit.
Martin had been loyal, no doubt about that. Even until the day he was accused of murder, I believed in him. The charges had come as a shock, but there had been nothing I could do back then. The family he was accused of betraying was too powerful, and I couldn't
