--
After few more moments, Heiko carefully shifted out from beneath her arm, moving slowly so as not to wake her. The last thing he wanted was to disturb the fragile peace she had finally found after the storm of the last days.
Once out of bed, he moved silently across the room, refreshing himself with icy water and dressing swiftly in a dark fitted tunic. He buckled the golden emblem of Almira onto his chest—a new symbol of responsibility, one still unfamiliar on his shoulders.
He stepped into the hallway, where the air still held the chill of night. No guards. No noise. Just the soft echo of his footsteps on the stone floors.
He moved through corridor after corridor until he found it—the former Lord’s office.
He pushed the heavy wooden door open, only to halt at the threshold, brows
