Something big… and hard…

"Well... fuck...," she muttered under her breath.

With determined strides, she retraced her path, heading in the direction Bright had taken.

The royal grounds, now bathed in the soft glow of lanterns, served as a backdrop to Emma's purposeful walk.

*

Bright, unaware that the injury on his hand from the shattered crystal glass would escalate into such a high fever, underestimated the severity of the situation.

Initially dismissing it as a minor wound, he believed a simple washing and makeshift bandaging would suffice.

His casual and sometimes careless nature perplexed even himself. The complexity of his own actions and their consequences left Bright in occasional bewilderment.

Bright's upbringing was marked by a unique blend of self-sufficiency and isolation.

His father, deeply engrossed in the affairs of the kingdom, left young Bright to navigate the early years of his life largely on his own.