Chapter162: Aftermath

|| Lilac's POV || The celebration hummed around me, laughter and clinking glasses grating against my frayed nerves. Torchlight flickered across the garden, casting long shadows that seemed to twist like living things. My fingers clenched around my wine glass hard enough to shatter it. Ezra had helped Elias to a seat, the picture of gracious victory. My little brother—my sweet, reckless brother—was smiling as if he hadn't just dismantled a seasoned warrior in front of the entire kingdom. "Sorry, I hope you won't take it personally," Ezra said, handing Elias a cloth for his bleeding lip. My vision tinted red. I strode forward, my silk skirts whispering against the grass like a blade being drawn. "Why? Why would you challenge him during the Ceremony?" The words tore from my throat before I could stop it. Ezra blinked at me. "Come on, Lilac. It was a good spar!" "Shut up," I snapped, never taking my eyes off Elias. He looked up at me, his too-blue eyes wide with feigned innocence. The brui