Claire POV
Hours turned to days, days turned to weeks and I was still confined in the top floor of the palace. Despite the extra space, and the ability to roam freely to some extent, I felt like a prisoner. Guards were at every corner and I always got close company. The only place where I was allowed to be alone was my bedroom. After I requested it, a gym has been arranged in one room and training has been added to my already busy schedule. Despite the exhaustion from studying and exercising, I still found it hard to sleep. So I started reading my mom's journal until the late hours of the night.
She began writing when she was confined in her room - like I am now - few weeks before her eighteenth birthday. Before that, she lived a happy and sheltered childhood, she rarely left the palac
