Chapter 75

"Jean... what does he have to do with me?"

"What are you talking about?"

I urgently seized his shoulders, a sense of desperation taking hold of me. "Tell me who I am... h-how I grew up by Alastair’s side. Who was I before?"

He sighed heavily, a weight settling in the air. "You were his aide. His spy... sometimes a champion. You followed orders, you... were manipulated into believing Alastair’s cause. But your mother... well, she led not only a rebellion but gave us all hope. Those of us who were lost and without a home."

As Accius spoke, a flood of conflicting emotions surged within me. The revelation about my past hit me like a tidal wave, each word chipping away at the facade that surrounded my upbringing. The connection to Alastair, the manipulation, everything was a bitter pill to swallow. And yet, in contrast, my mother's actions painted a picture of resilience and defiance that stirred a newfound sense of purpose within me. The weight of my past