Chapter Content
The courtyard was alive with a riot of colors. Golden afternoon light filtered through the high stone arches, spilling over manicured hedges of deep emerald and walkways lined with crushed white stone. Vines of night-blooming jasmine, still tightly coiled from the morning, clung to the pillars, their sweet, sharp scent hanging thick in the warm air.
In the center of the grounds, a low stone fountain bubbled, the clear water catching the sun like liquid glass as it trickled into a shallow pool. The gentle hum of bumblebees droned beneath the rustle of the rose bushes, their velvet red petals fully unfurled to drink in the heat.
Suddenly, the heavy wooden doors at the edge of the terrace groaned open. Odesse and Valex walked in, moving slowly and deliberately, with Valex’s arm wrapped around the back of Odesse. They stood at the top of the terrace and began walking down into the garden. Odesse breathed in slowly, and her face instantly glowed. Valex released his hand from her back and asked, "How do you feel?"
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