The next day, Elara was finally allowed to step outside her room.
For the first time since she had been brought here, she crossed the door and felt open air again. The moment she stepped out, she understood something was wrong.
This was not the main palace.
She paused for a second, her eyes slowly moving across the surroundings. The structure… the layout… it felt familiar. After a moment, she understood—it was a separate building. One that stood far away from the main palace, placed almost at the very edge of the imperial grounds.
To reach the main palace from here, it would take at least ten minutes of walking.
And that was not even the strangest part.
This place was… isolated.
It was not near any main road. No officials passed by. No servants hurried around. There were no grand gates, no decorated halls, no noise of daily palace life.
