The Confession

Chapter 62: The Confession

The palace stood cloaked in midnight silence, its spires reaching like fingers toward the stars. All around, guards patrolled with torches casting flickering light across the marble corridors. The scent of burning oil and jasmine from the gardens lingered faintly in the air.

Ariana stormed through the hall with winded urgency, her cloak trailing behind her like guilt. Her boots echoed against the cold floors as she approached the throne room, past startled guards who barely managed to announce her presence before she shoved open the great doors.

King Darius looked up from a stack of correspondence, his pen pausing mid-sentence. The heavy doors groaned open with such force that the candle flames shivered, casting uneasy shadows across the chamber. He rose slowly from his seat, his silhouette long against the golden wash of candlelight.