It was another late winter night and the year was approaching its end within less than a week.
The world outside was shrouded in a qiet, serene stillness, with a blanket of fresh snow covering the landscape. The air was crisp and cold. The moon, when visible, casted a pale, silvery glow on the snow, illuminating the world with an ethereal light.
The trees, stripped of their leaves, stood like skeletal sentinels against the night sky. The stars twinkled overhead, their brilliance magnified by the cold, clear air.
In that moment it felt like a time when the world seemed to slow down, as if nature itself was taking a deep breath beforethe arrival of the beautiful season of spring.
Annalise was sitting on the warm velvet rug that was covering the floor in one of the corners of the huge library of the castle. She had a cup of warm herbal tea in her hands while a soft but warm blanket was covering her legs as she gazed at the outside view from the huge window.
