Elara's pov
The meeting continued with logistics. Guest accommodations. Banquet planning. Protocol discussions. Who would sit where. What gifts would be exchanged. Which topics were appropriate for dinner conversation and which should be saved for private negotiation.
I participated like a robot, responded when they needed a response. My mouth said the right words. My face showed the right expressions. But my mind was elsewhere.
Three days.
Three days until a foreign king arrived expecting to negotiate for my hand.
Three days to figure out how to understand this without revealing the impossible situation I was in.
After the meeting, I retreated to my dad's private study which was now mine. I dismissed everyone except Lena who was the only one who was allowed to see me.The door clicked shut, and the exhaustion I'd been holding at bay hit me fully.
