William and Emma were preparing to leave. They would return to the County, stay there for the night, and head back to the academy the next day. It had already been three days since they left the contest venue, and absence could no longer be justified.
And now came the hardest part.
They had to leave Nana behind.
The decision was Emma's, but William agreed without hesitation.
The situation at his home had not turned out as he'd hoped. In just a few months, his brother had grown sharper, pettier, the kind of man who would hurt someone close to William simply to spite him. The Count could not always be present to protect Nana, and the lady of the house was far too consumed by her own affairs to notice the quiet suffering of a child.
Nana was small and gentle, the kind of child who would swallow her tears so she wouldn't trouble anyone around her.
Leaving her there was unthinkable.
