Chapter 191

Elvira POV

I walked straight down the long, dim hallway that led to Brielle’s room. The old floorboards under the carpet groaned softly beneath my steps, the muted creak echoing faintly in the silence of the east wing. A shaft of pale light from a high, narrow window cut across the corridor, dust motes swirling lazily in the air.

My heart thudded in my chest, not out of fear, but out of the quiet determination that had been building in me all morning. Ever since I isolated myself weeks ago, Brielle had distanced herself from me. She no longer lingered in the kitchen to chat over tea. She no longer dropped by my room with a sly smile and some gossip from the other side of the tower. She passed me in hallways with polite nods, the warmth in her eyes replaced by something unreadable.

But that wasn’t the reason I was going to her now. No—this was abo