The nigh had settled like a heavy curtain over the palace, shrouding my room in hushed shadows. I sat alone on the edge of my bed, the only source of light a faint shimmer that danced across the walls from the moon outside. Silence wrapped around me, unmoving, unbroken, and unsettling.
I sighed softly, the sound swallowed by the darkness, and reached for the necklace resting against my chest. My fingers curled around the heart shaped pendant the emperor had given me, no… the gift papa had once placed into my hands with unspoken tenderness. Its surface pulse faintly, glowing with a gentle hue of blue and a soft whisper of violet, just like my eyes.
I brought the pendant closer, letting its glow illuminate my face. It was the only light in the room, the only warmth. I slowly unfastened the chain from around my neck, and the cool metal slipped into my palms. I held it tightly, as though gripping it could somehow steady the tremble in my heart.
He can't stop me this time. not again.
