The servants were polite enough, though even their kindness often carried distance beneath it. She could feel it in the way some avoided touching her directly, or how others stared a second too long before looking away, exactly the treatment she received back in Veximoor.
And Vaeron… there was no sign of him anywhere, not after that morning. At first, Lucrezia told herself she was relieved. It was better and safer this way. Yet as the days stretched into weeks, something unfamiliar began settling unpleasantly beneath her ribs each time the chamber doors opened and it was never him standing there.
Ridiculous.
Completely ridiculous.
Today, however, was different. For the first time since the attack, Lucrezia no longer woke with pain dragging through every limb. Thankfully, the soreness faded greatly, leaving behind only faint weakness that no longer threatened to collapse her where she stood.
