Third-person POV
Jella did not knock when she reached the king's quarters. The moment she stood in front of the door, she pushed it open and walked in like she still owned everything inside, like nothing had changed, like she wasn't walking into a room that used to belong to the man she had ruined. The air inside was quiet, still, and strangely calm compared to the storm that had been building in her head since morning.
Vale stood by the window with his back to her, looking out at the palace grounds as if he had all the time in the world. He was dressed simply, far more casually than Jella had ever seen him before, and even from behind, it was obvious how much weight he had lost. His shoulders were sharper now, his frame thinner, and there was something about the way he stood that made it clear that the time he had spent in the dungeon had not been easy.
