[Aestrea's POV]
I simply walked away from there.
No direction or plan.
Just… forward.
My fists were clenched so tight my nails dug into the skin.
I could feel the sting, but I give a single fuck.
Couldn't.
The cheers, the gasps, the looks...
All of them meant nothing now.
My boots scraped against stone, then shifted over dirt, grass. I barely noticed when I stepped into the garden.
The flowers swayed in the breeze.
But my body wasn't.
Haaagh—!!
I stumbled to one knee, clutching my ribs as a mouthful of blood burst from my lips. It hit the grass in splatters—dark red against the soft green.
"Guh…"
I groaned, wiping my mouth with the back of my sleeve.
My vision blurred for a second.
Not from the blood loss.
But from something deeper.