Chapter191: The Reckoning

|| Lilac’s POV || The moment I heard the news of Alaric's return, my teacup slipped from my fingers, shattering against the hardwood floor. The sound echoed through the suddenly silent kitchen. He's back. I was out of the door before the porcelain shards stopped spinning, my bare feet slapping against cold wood as I sprinted toward the packhouse. The evening air burned my lungs, but I didn't slow - couldn't slow. Not when every second apart had been its own special kind of torment. The packhouse loomed ahead, its windows glowing like watchful eyes. But something was wrong. The usual hum of activity had been replaced by an eerie silence, broken only by the occasional raised voice filtering through the study walls. I took the steps two at a time, my pulse hammering in my throat. The door was slightly ajar, and the heated debate within made my hand freeze on the knob. "—absolute madness!" Elizabeth's shrill voice cut through the tension. "The curse will kill him before the coronation is o