Victoria's POV
"How was your talk with the elders?" I asked softly, my voice barely above the breeze as I turned to face him.
He found me on the balcony of my chambers, just as the last light of day melted into the horizon. The city below lay quiet, though the ruins still clawed at the skyline like scars that refused to fade. From this height, the devastation looked almost surreal—like the remnants of a painting someone had tried and failed to erase.
But there was no mistaking it. The damage was real.
So was the grief.
I fixed my gaze on the broken buildings below, but I could feel his presence beside me—warm, steady, searching. I didn't need to look at him to know he had seen the pain in my eyes. I tried to hide it. I always did. But some things were too deep, raw, and tangled in memory to fully conceal.
"They agreed to the terms," he said after a pause, his tone even but cautious. "But it wasn't easy. Some of them still don't trust me. Or… us."
