✦ Chapter 43 ✦
---
Adrian paced the length of the hallway like a caged animal, his boots striking the stone floor in a restless rhythm that echoed too loudly in the otherwise hushed corridor. Back and forth he went, shoulders tense, jaw clenched, his hands curling into fists only to loosen again as though he could not decide whether he wanted to fight something—or himself. The palace felt colder than usual, the walls taller, heavier, as if they were closing in on him with every step he took.
He had sworn an oath once. Not to the palace, not even to the crown, but to Lucien himself. To stand at his side. To protect him. To notice the dangers Lucien could not see when grief blinded him or duty hollowed him out. And yet here he was, useless in the one moment it mattered most, unable to stop the unraveling that had begun long before Adrian realized it was happening.
I failed you, he thought bitterly. I watched it happen, and I still failed you.
