Chapter 19: Alone with the Velthornes.

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Evening.

Grand Dining Hall, Wyfkeep Castle.

Wyf-fellon, Wyfn-Garde.

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The evening had grown heavy with the approaching dusk, and finally, Lilian, whom Salviana has mentally nicknamed 'Narc-Princess' and Margaretha, the Gaunt-gaudy-quack lady-in-waiting, had left. Salviana felt an overwhelming sense of relief as the door closed behind them.

She desperately craved a moment of solitude, to just breathe and collect her scattered thoughts. But even that was a fleeting hope. Dinner with the Velthornes was fast approaching, and the maids were already bustling around, preparing her for the next phase of royal expectations.