Chapter 87. Silent Treatment

Xerina’s POV

The next three days passed in a painful blur. Rasmus’s cold shoulder was like a constant weight on my chest, making it hard to breathe, let alone think. Every time I saw him, he either turned away or acted as if I didn’t exist, and the pain of his rejection cut deeper than I ever expected.

I tried everything I could think of to get his attention. I went to his quarters early in the morning, hoping to catch him before he left for whatever duties he was consumed with, but he would just brush past me without a word.

At meal times, I made an effort to bring him food, but he never showed up to eat. I’d leave the plates on his desk or at the door to his room, hoping he’d at least notice the gesture, but when I checked later, the plates were always untouched.

Desperation gnawed at me, and I found myself doing things I never thought I’d do. One afternoon, I found him on the training grounds, going through his exercises with a fierce intensity. I