Angelica was standing at the far end of the corridor, her armor faintly clinking every time she shifted her weight.
The faint light from the high windows cast long shadows, stretching across the polished stone floor.
The moment her eyes locked onto mine, she moved quickly, her boots echoing with urgency.
"How was it?" she asked.
"I failed," I told her bluntly, my voice heavy with exhaustion but void of self-pity.
Angelica blinked. "For someone who failed again, you don't seem all that... sad."
I let out a faint sigh, the corners of my lips twitching into something between a tired smile and a grimace. "I've been doing this for months, Angelica," I said, keeping my voice even. "At this point, I don't have the luxury to cry just because they rejected me. Again. But that doesn't mean I'll throw in the towel. The safety of our kingdom, of everyone who calls it home... it's what's on the line here. I'm not allowed to give up."
