Chapter 227. The Ceremony

~Eldridge~

Erika stepped into Elena’s room with her arms clasped behind her back and her chin lifted. Four maids in green dresses followed, mirroring the opposite posture—heads lowered, hands folded in front of them. Erika paused at the doorway, eyes shifting to the bed.

Elena was still tucked beneath her blanket, fast asleep, her face faintly illuminated by the soft glow reflecting off the marble floor. Erika let out a sigh. She marched to the curtains with one maid while the remaining three approached Elena’s bed. Erika grabbed one end of the thick rope attached to the massive curtain; the maid took the other. Two maids gripped the corners of Elena’s blanket, while the last stood watch.

At Erika’s signal, they all pulled. Sunlight burst into the room through the curtain wall, and the two maids whipped the blanket off Elena.

Elena