ry echoed through the grand halls, a hollow s

Hawthorne, was su

celebrated heir, also report

had the Hawthorne matriarch, Isabelle, l

e, a life of naive trust and brutal betrayal,

manipulator, and he was about to try

n, begged me to keep his secret "for the good of the empire,"

ed he'd com

n, framing me, disgracing me, leaving me w

ld, hard knot in my chest, fueling

ulate, her posture rigid, glided towards

but carried the weight of abs

family has traditions, sol

ng her words hang

eriod of deep mourning, this means social seclusion,

harp, daring m

nor this, you will be cast o

hreat that had crushed me in my previous

arp and clean, cut through

rectly, my own su

g through the hushed, respectful sil

ly sculpted eyebro

your

tling over me. "I will not be observing any

asp rippled th

serene control, tightened, a flic

ct your husband's m

ghed. "There's nothing to disre

uld fully consider the consequ

better than the truth for now, better than t

ne thrown into the placid, decepti

just getti