Chapter 34. End This Madness

AURELIA

“My lady, the king requests your presence in the salaz,” a voice called from outside my room. “Again.”

I could hear the scowl in her tone. And to be fair, she had every reason to resent me.

“Come in, Sigrid,” I muttered, barely raising my voice.

The door creaked open, and Sigrid walked in with that small, polite smile plastered on her face. She approached where I lay, her steps delicate. “Did you sleep well, my lady?” she asked, the same question she’d asked twice already today.

Sleep had become a distant dream since I arrived in this cursed town. The relentless buzz of the mosquitoes, the stench of dust lingering in the stofa, and the cold breeze sneaking through the fragile entrance—it was a perfect recipe for insomnia. Or maybe it was the events of that first night, haunting my thoughts like a tumor in my brain. I hadn’t left this room since, not even to respond to my father’s incessant summons.

“I did, Sigrid, so you can stop asking,”