Chapter 56 - Technicalities Pt. 2

I remember the look on Elara's face when I finally met her that night. In the quiet of an alcove far from the prying eyes of the palace, her familiar warmth and gentle concern wrapped around me like a soft cloak. I had barely managed to find the courage to share the heaviness that weighed upon my heart. "Elara," I confessed in a hushed voice, "I knew I'd have to sacrifice a part of myself for this marriage. I understood that duty must come before personal desires. But I never imagined they would demand that I forfeit all my obligations toward Veridia. It feels as if I'm expected to become nothing more than a figurehead, someone who abandons the very soul of my homeland."