CHAPTER 126 - Frustration.

As Alex stepped out of Vanessa's chamber, the conversation lingered, heavy on his shoulders. The hallway stretched ahead of him, dimly lit by soft, golden orbs of light hovering near the ceiling, casting a warm yet somber glow over the polished marble floors. The faint hum of the ongoing celebration in the ballroom drifted through the corridors, a distant reminder of the grandeur he was walking toward.

He paused, leaning against the wall for a moment, closing his eyes. The events of the day churned in his mind like a storm. The chat he'd had with the higher nobility replayed in his head—the expectations and doubts in their eyes vivid as though they still stood before him. He'd anticipated such reactions, but it was still taxing to entertain them all, especially while maintaining a composed and strategic image.