Nina shifted in the stiff ceremonial robes as she walked, the heavy fabric clinging to her skin and making every movement a chore.
The silk itched against her arms, and the gold thread scratched at her collarbone.
Her face remained composed, but she was one uncomfortable step away from ripping the entire outfit off.
But then she glanced at the priest walking beside her.
He held a serene expression, one of perfect devotion and expectation, as if he were escorting a willing lamb to something divine. Nina suppressed a sigh.
Complaining wouldn't help. She could scream, but no one here was truly listening.
She kept walking.
As she turned a corner, her eyes found Hwan standing in the corridor ahead, tense and obviously trying to hold himself back.
His brows furrowed the second he saw her, and he took a step forward instinctively.
His hand rose slightly, as if he meant to grab her, but before he could reach out, another priest smoothly stepped in between them.
