Chapter 16. Friendly Foas

Elina’s POV

Theodora and I spent a good part of the day touring the gardens. The air was warm, the sun filtering gently through the tall hedges and carefully trimmed trees, casting patterned shadows on the stone pathways beneath our feet. Theodora lingered everywhere we passed, stopping to admire flowers, touching petals as if they were precious treasures, breathing in their scent with visible delight. She moved slowly, serenely, as though the world held no urgency for her at all.

I, on the other hand, found the entire thing dreadfully boring.

After only a few minutes, my patience wore thin. I excused myself under the pretense of needing to prepare for guests and headed back toward the mansion, climbing the stairs to the patio where my friends would soon arrive. I had been away for a while, and they were eager to visit. More importantly, I wa