The morning sun spilled across the wide windows of the mansion, painting the floor in golden warmth. The air smelled faintly of sea salt, carried in from the endless ocean that surrounded this hidden estate. To most, it would have been paradise, gardens curling around marble walkways, fountains whispering in the courtyards, silence but for the chirp of birds and the crash of waves.
But to Sera, it was a prison dressed in silk.
She sat curled up on the edge of her enormous bed, knees tucked to her chest, her dark hair falling in messy strands around her face. Pajamas still clung to her small frame, wrinkled from another restless night. She hadn’t asked for breakfast, and when the soft knock came at her door, she didn’t move.
The door opened anyway.
The “nanny,” a tall woman with pale sk
