Rosaire

(From Ella's Perspective)

The sound came from beneath a door nearby. I had never gone through that door, but I was sure that inside, it was not a room.

As I was about to open the door, I heard a voice from behind me. "Why are you still in the castle, Leora?"

It was the same blonde woman who told us to clean the library and the roof the other day. She had a friendly face, making anyone want to trust her. But her loyalty to the king was far above anything else.

"Nothing. I was just about to leave," I said.

"It's been twenty minutes past nine. You and the boy are always the first ones to leave this castle. I was a bit surprised seeing you here," she said.

She was not wrong. Jed and I had always left the castle as soon as it was nine. None of us liked being here, forget staying here more than necessary.