I lasted on the balcony for maybe ten more minutes after Evren left before the cold seeped through the pretty dress and started gnawing on my bones.
I could’ve gone straight back to “my” chambers like a sane person. Instead, I did what I always did when I was emotionally overloaded and under-slept: I walked it off.
The castle was quieter now. The big double doors to the hall were closed, the music muffled behind them. A few stragglers slipped out, laughing too loudly, heading toward whatever fae version of “after party” they had. I picked a corridor at random and started wandering.
It took about thirty seconds for my brain to register that something was… missing.
Still no outlets or electrical cords. No exit signs. No emergency lights. No soft glow from plugged-in night lights or rando
