With Ulrich gone, the sisters had little choice but to remain where he had left them.
At the very least, they no longer had to stand among those arrogant young nobles.
That alone made the air easier to breathe.
And Camellia was already proving herself far better company than any of them had been.
She did not look down on them. She did not stare at them with curiosity twisted into disgust. She did not speak to them as though she were granting them the privilege of being tolerated. Although they were witches, she treated them with a quiet, natural courtesy that made the earlier ugliness feel even more vulgar by comparison.
More than anything, she seemed concerned.
