Chapter 422: The Break!
last update2026-01-18 22:44:53

“You know what, Mother,” Celestine said, her voice a flat, quiet lake over a churning depth. She had pondered over everything and had decided on what she had wanted.

“I need a break.”

Elara’s hand fell. Her eyes narrowed, but not in hurt. In rapid, icy recalculation. This was a minor revolt. A temporary lapse. A crack in the weapon to be welded over, not a break in the blade itself.

She’d seen this before, in smaller doses. Celestine always came back, chastened and more focused. The world outside their gilded cage had nothing real to offer her.

“A break,” Elara repeated, the words laced with dismissive venom. “From your destiny? From the war we are fighting for your future? Don’t be petulant. You can rest when you’re sitting in that chair.”

But Celestine was already moving toward the foyer, her steps disconnected, as if she were a ghost in her own life. “It’s not a request,” she stated, without turning.

She picked up her simple, worn leather satchel—a relic from her Sullivan days, h
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