Chapter 111
Zeraphine's POV
The fire crackled softly in the hearth, its flickering glow casting shifting shadows against the stone walls. The warmth should have been comforting, should have driven away the lingering chill in my bones—but it didn’t. Because no amount of heat could melt the weight pressing against my chest.
The meeting with the elders had been brief, their decision swift and final. Yet, the consequences of their ruling stretched far beyond a single conversation. It was done. The bonds that once tied Rivara to Varin had been severed.
But what now?
I sat near the window, fingers curled around the cool stone ledge. Outside, the world remained unchanged, indifferent to everything that had unfolded. The moon hung high, its glow spilling over the castle walls like silent jud
