Alana stands just outside her father's bedroom, unable to take another step. The moment the carriage stops at the Farnese estate and she steps outside, several maids rush toward her, their faces filled with excitement and relief.
"My Lady! The Lord has awakened!" one of them says immediately. Alana stops.
For a moment, she simply stares at them. She has spent months doing everything she can to find a way to wake her father. She has spent an enormous amount of the Farnese fortune searching for powerful magic, brought Selvaris into the kingdom, and risked crossing borders to find someone capable of breaking Sienna-Rose's curse.
And now, after everything, her father is finally awake. She should be running toward him. Instead, something inside her makes her hesitate.
