š.š: High-ranked filth
šhe silk hem of Elysia's gown swished against the cold stone floor, her strides unrelenting as she stormed through the eastern wing of the palace.
The air grew heavier with every archway she passed, every thick mahogany door that lined the hall like watchful sentinels. This part of the castleāwhere the security quarters lay tucked away from the opulence of the courtāreeked of secrets.
Two guards flanking the entrance barely had time to register her presence before she pushed through, head high, fire in her eyes.
Her heart pounded. Not from fear, but from the fury threading through every bone, every breath. A storm brewed beneath her skin, and no protocol or palace decree would contain it.
She had only just changed into something more presentable. Silk instead of soot-stained linens, but the moment the steward confirmed where Liliette had been taken, she'd wasted no time.
