Of Longing and Parting

At a birthday feast in the Regent's Keep, Elara Hayes wears a gown once belonging to the late Duchess Consort Seraphina. The eight-year-old heir, Arthur, shoves her into the lily pond and vows to cast her out when he comes of age. When the gown tears, he claims it was his mother's favorite, though Elara knows the late Duchess favored opulent silks. Later, she finds her white cat, Nimbus, hanged in her chambers, and Arthur's mocking laughter echoes behind her.

Duke Theron Vance dismisses her grief, blaming her for the quarrel and offering a night without the anti-conception elixir as a gift. Elara recalls the eight-year pact that bound her here as a Lady Companion, never a wife, and the family that sent her to replace her dead sister. When she declares the pact concluded and announces her departure, the Duke forbids it, ordering her to remain and reflect.

As a wish lantern rises for a birthday that is not hers, Elara stands alone, resolved to leave behind a house that never held room for her.