Chapter 88: Of Shadows That Dare Speak
Lyria's POV
I was irritated.
That was the simplest way to put it.
Though even that felt insufficient—too mild, too neat a word to contain the tangle of emotions coiling within me. Irritation, yes. But also anger. And humiliation. And something far sharper beneath it all—something that pressed at the edges of my composure, threatening to fracture it if I so much as allowed myself to linger upon it for too long.
I walked quickly.
My steps were swift, purposeful, carrying me away from the garden with a determination that bordered on defiance.
Bees.
Of all things.
I pressed my lips together.
Jacinta knew.
Of course she did.
She knew very well that I detested them. That I avoided this garden for that very reason. That the mere sound of their wings was enough to set my nerves on edge.
And yet—
But then again, was it truly surprising?
I exhaled slowly, forcing my breathing into something steadier, something controlled.
No.
It was not.
