Chapter 26: Where the Palace Refuses to Breathe
Lyria's POV
I did not allow myself the comfort of slowing until the echo of the library doors had long faded behind me.
The palace swallowed me whole the moment I turned into the western passage.
Here, the ceilings lowered just enough to make one bow one's head without realising it. The walls narrowed subtly, the marble giving way to dull limestone blocks whose seams were stained by centuries of candle smoke and careless hands. Tall windows no longer watched the gardens. Instead, narrow slits of glass clung high above, letting in thin, sickly ribbons of morning light that barely touched the floor.
This corridor was one that very few people used. It had been abandoned for a long time now.
Honestly, I had no idea why it was even built in the first place.
I lifted my skirts and quickened my pace.
