Chapter 299: Guilt’s Heavy Chains

**Benard Walter’s Perspective** After leaving the Moon Palace, a cloud of unease hung over me. I couldn’t shake it, and even Rhode, whose attention was almost entirely consumed by his excitement over reconnecting with his sister, noticed something was amiss. “Hey, Benard, what’s going on with you? You’ve been so out of it these past few days. Are you feeling okay?” I forced a faint, bitter smile. “It’s nothing,” I replied, my voice barely above a whisper. Rhode wasn’t convinced. He pressed further, asking questions I refused to answer. His concern was evident, but my mind was too tangled in a web of guilt and fear to engage. Finally, he frowned, his expression sharpening as a thought seemed to dawn on him. “This is about Thelma, isn’t it?” His words struck like lightning. My hand trembled, knocking over the coffee cup on the table. The hot liquid spilled, but I hardly noticed. I scrambled to deny his accusation, stammering out a half-hearted dismissal. “There’s som