Chapter 78 Where Words Fail

[ELARA] Ruelle refuses to meet my eyes during dinner. She eats quietly, almost as if the meal is a duty, not a comfort. Her fingers tremble as she grips her fork, and I notice the way she keeps her hands close to her lap, her shoulders slouching, as if trying to make herself smaller beside the Queen Mother. Even when Princess Daphne tries to strike up conversation, Ruelle’s responses are clipped, distant — just a single word falling from her lips like she’s afraid she’ll slip up her plan.