Chapter SIXTY-SIX

Lusia I woke up to an empty, aching feeling in my stomach. Hunger gnawed at me, but it wasn’t just physical. It was something deeper, something rawer, clawing at the edges of my mind before I was even fully awake. My eyes fluttered open, the soft morning light filtering through the curtains, casting golden patterns across the room. For a brief moment, I allowed myself to stretch, my muscles sore yet oddly light, as though I had slept deeper than I had in weeks. But then, a flash of memories came into my mind. The memory of last evening slammed into me like a wave, and I shrank back into the bed, curling in on myself as mortification settled heavily over me. What have I done? I didn’t realize what I did yesterday. It had been wrong in so many ways but I had done it anyway. Last evening, I was consumed by my emotions. I had let them get the better of me, and I did horrible things. Things that scared me as I thought about it now. I had kissed King Dane. Not on the lips, but close enough.