By the time she reached the door, her expression had shifted. Sleepy. Hesitant. Just a frightened girl, startled awake by the chaos from the royal quarters.
She cracked the door open just enough to let a trembling note creep into her voice.
"What happened?" she asked, feigning uncertainty.
Nnenna exhaled sharply, stepping forward. "Little Sweetie, can we hide here?" Her voice wavered, thick with exhaustion and barely restrained fear.
"Assassins are in the castle. I think they're after everyone in the royal family. I don't know where else to go."
She had been strong for so long. Strong enough to not only save herself but to drag Ebere along with her. But only she and God knew the truth, how utterly terrified she was.
And yet, she had held on.
But now, standing before the one person she knew she could trust in the castle, the one who had always been there for her, ever since the day she was pulled from the ground by her, something inside her cracked.
