Adrein.
The moment I stepped inside my private quarters and let the heavy wooden door swing shut behind me, the suffocating silence of the room crashed over my head.
I leaned back against the solid timber, closing my eyes as I let out a ragged, exhausted breath. My mind was still reeling from the madness in the corridor—Damien's reckless excitement, Aidan's relentless determination to bring Patricia here, and the dark, impending shadow of my own failing health.
Before I could even take a single step further into the room or gather my scattered thoughts, the door was thrown open with violent force, slamming against the adjacent stone wall.
I flinched, my eyes snapping open as I raised a hand, ready to bark at whoever dared to barge into my space without knocking. But the harsh reprimand died right in my throat when my eyes fell upon the breathless, trembling figure standing on the threshold.
It was Valerie, Anabel's trusted personal maid.
