"W-What do you mean by that?" I asked him, unable to keep the confusion from slipping into my voice.
"I meant exactly what I said," he replied in a calm and steady tone. "You don't have to carry the entire kingdom on your shoulders by yourself. At least, that isn't something you need to force yourself to do right now."
After hearing that, I couldn't think of anything to say for several long moments.
Even though he spoke as if he wanted me to return to the way things had been before all of this happened, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was still missing a very important piece of the puzzle. It felt like everyone else had already figured something out while I was still trying to catch up.
I was the Queen of Bethlan now.
That title alone carried more responsibility than I had ever imagined growing up.
The people living within this kingdom were now depending on me, whether I liked it or not.
