Chapter 203: A Gift for Patricia
Lyria's POV
The silence after they left was quite welcoming.
I stood in the middle of my chambers for a moment, simply breathing it in.
Then I crossed to the hidden compartment beneath the loose floorboard, lifted it carefully, and retrieved my sketchbook.
I did not think about the tearoom.
I did not think about the King's gaze or the Queen's pleasant voice delivering unpleasant things or the sting still sitting in my cheek from the maid's hand.
I dragged a chair to the window instead.
The window faced the right direction at this hour — westward, where the sky had begun to shift from grey into something softer. The clouds had thinned in places, and where they had thinned, the light came through in long, pale bars that moved slowly across the gardens below.
I opened the window slightly.
Cold air came in at once, carrying the smell of flowers, food, and grass.
I settled into the chair and opened the sketchbook to a clean page.
