KATHERINE

A small garden greeted me at the entrance, though the plants were sparse.

I lifted my head and took in the pitch-black darkness.

Only a few faint lights flickered from a nearby house. The distant hills were covered in trees, rustic wooden fences lined the dirt road that wove through the homes—life in the countryside.

In the midst of that darkness, a silhouette suddenly emerged.

The rickety front gate creaked open, and the figure walked up the stone path. It was Elliot.

"Rossella, why did you come outside? It’s cold," he said, approaching immediately.

"I was waiting for you. Are you okay?" I asked, taking a few steps toward him.

His expression remained serious and uneasy.

"I went to see the village. It’s… indescribable," he said through gritted teeth, his face dark with fury.

"This is the borderlands, and it’s obvious someone else is controlling them. I feel like an idiot."

Well, that’s not something I’m going to argue with, little Duke, I thought, wisely keeping silent.

"You