TWENTY-NINE
FAUSTIA
The journey from the manor Garret had hidden her away in to the Reaches took three grueling days. By the time Leila and Violet arrived to the estate sitting atop a hill, surrounded by gardens, all Violet could think about was a warm bath and a soft bed to ease her aching spine.
That first night, Violet had fallen immediately to sleep. But in the morning, the reality of her freedom—the absence of guards and her husband's increasingly paranoid behavior—sank in, and Violet schemed.
During lunch, Violet told Leila stories about her childhood in Monari over tea while sitting in the manor's warm kitchen.
"I'd always believed I needed a bigger life, more excitement." Violet scoffed, shaking her head ruefully. "What I wouldn't give now for a quiet life."
Leila had hummed
