The dark room said nothing to her and offered no answers. Serena blinked slowly and then sat up, holding her head in her hands as a low sigh fell from her lips. Elen's face haunted her, echoing through every breath. She had not expected that kind of pain in the woman's eyes, betrayal tempered with shame, a kind Serena was far too familiar with.
She had believed she was doing well. Hadn't she? Hadn't she handled herself in the garden, at the table, in the council chamber? But now every word she had spoken, every glance she had exchanged with Riven, every calculated pause clawed its way back to her. Had she leaned too heavily into the role of ambassador? Had she revealed too much, too soon?
