Chapter 77 – Hector's Discovery

• Leaving the courtyard after his unsettling encounter with Isabella, Hector's mind was a storm of conflicting emotions. His desire to remove Alexander from the picture clashed with the knowledge that Isabella's grand promises of realm-altering power came with a price. As he processed these thoughts, he couldn't shake the guilt that gnawed at him for not protecting Anastasia from his aunt's manipulation. Anastasia left the palace in tears, a reflection of his failure to shield her from the schemes that entangled them all.
• Wandering through one of the palace's rarely used corridors, Hector's steps were aimless. A soft, ethereal light glimmered from an open doorway, beckoning his curiosity. He approached cautiously and peered inside. There, upon a bed, sat Lyiad, the Oracle in deep meditation. Her body exuded a luminous radiance, and a surreal aura surrounded her as she hovered above the ground. A shiver ran down Hector's spine as Lyiad's voice, gentle and yet carrying a weight of profound wisdom, reached his ears.
• “It is not too late to change the deceit in your heart, Prince Hector,” she chanted, her words resonating with an ethereal clarity that seemed to cut through the storm in his head.