Chapter 26
Aftermath
“Where’s Vlad? How is he?”
The dim twilight cast a faint flush on Liliette’s pale cheeks. The bedroom, nestled within the wooden building, was bathed in the dying light, its large window overlooking the fading day. She sat stiffly on the pristine white bed, every inch of her taut with anxiety as if she might bolt at any moment. Ivan moved a chair closer to the bed, deliberately positioning himself to block her path.
“You saw it yourself, Father,” she said, her voice trembling. “I’m not hurt at all, but he… in that battle…”
Her words caught in her throat, the memory of his death too raw to speak out loud. Cold sweat drenched her like rain. It had happened too recently to be relegated to the past—a tragedy so profound it had shattered her entire world.
