#Chapter 235: Fate and the Locked Book

I tried to drown out my thoughts and burning questions, instead deciding to focus on the scenery around me.

The royal garden embraced us with its symphony of colors and fragrances as Prince Alexander plucked a rose effortlessly from a nearby bush. I couldn't help but scold him for killing the delicate flower, my voice tinged with reproach.

"Must you destroy the beauty around you?" I asked, eyeing the plucked rose with a touch of sadness.

Prince Alexander merely shrugged, twirling the rose stem between his fingers. "In the grand scheme of things, a single rose won't be missed. They bloom again, Shana. It isn't truly dead."

I sighed, trying to ignore his poetic way of looking at things. It only reminded me that I was almost truly dead a mere two hours ago.

"What other tricks do you have planned for my visit?" I inquired with a hint of wariness in my voice. "I feel as if I need to walk around with eyes in the back of my head now."

"Don't worry. Our tricks are done," he assured me. "Now,