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At the Golden Palace….
The following day, Irwin and Clandestine visited Leonardo, who was being detained in the cold palace, his hands still bound by the silver chains as a stark reminder of his punishment.
As Clandestine fretted over his well-being, Leonardo reassured her, keeping his voice steady, despite the chill in the air. "I'm fine Mother. He won't hurt me, he's only doing all of this to keep me from interfering with his plans to marry Esme today."
His eyes flashed with a hint of anger as he continued, "He clearly has no idea what his actions would lead to – lives will be ruined, relationships will crumble. I'm convinced someone from the council has poisoned his mind. And I believe that someone probably told him to keep me in the dark from the very beginning."
