Elarliya had been pacing in her room for what felt like hours, her footsteps tracing the same narrow arc across the floor as if she could wear her anxieties into the wood itself.
Her hands clenched and unclenched at her sides while her breath kept coming in uneven intervals, and the moment she finally stopped, it was not because she calmed down but because a soft knock sounded outside her door, followed by a maid entering with lowered eyes and a carefully balanced tray in her hands.
And Elarliya stood frozen for a heartbeat before her gaze dropped to the tray, her expression shifting in subtle ways as she dismissed the maid with a flick of her fingers and slowly lifted the items that were meant for Maximus.
Her heart was pounding not with guilt or fear but with anticipation mixed with a strange thrill that made her spine tingle, and she inhaled deeply to steady herself before stepping out of her room.
