chapter forty two

Sleep remained a distant dream. The unsettling revelations of the night hung heavy in the air, suffocating and oppressive. Despite the plushness of the bed, I tossed and turned, my mind replaying every word of King Aaron's proposition and the cryptic conversation with Damian. Had he known about the plan all along? Where did his loyalties lie?

Finally, as the first rays of dawn crept through the window, casting the room in a pale, ethereal light, I gave up on sleep altogether. Slipping out of bed, I padded barefoot down the empty hallway, the silence broken only by the whisper of my silk nightgown against the polished marble floor.