Chapter Twenty-Three: Maybe I shouldn’t

Baila

Sara left as soon as she had come.

Apparently, there was an urgent matter that required her presence.

The door clicked shut behind Sara, leaving me alone with the three maids and the heavy silence that followed.

My room, usually a place of solace, now felt suffocating, as if the walls themselves were closing in.

The flickering candlelight cast elongated shadows that danced across the stone walls, turning them into silent specters bearing witness to my turmoil.

I swallowed the fear in my throat.

If I wanted to survive, winning the bride trials was my only option.

The gowns the maids carried were a riot of colors—deep crimson, sapphire blue, emerald green, and gold that shimmered like captured sunlight.