The corridors felt different as Aurelia walked away from Vaelric's chambers.
In truth, nothing had changed, but to Aurelia, it seemed that everything had.
The same polished marble floors stretched endlessly beneath her steps. The same towering pillars lined the hallways. The same servants moved about their duties, heads bowed, voices hushed.
But now… it just seemed different.
Aurelia could not pinpoint what was wrong, yet she could not silence Vaelric's words that lingered in her mind, repeating themselves in quiet, persistent echoes.
Stay close to Father… Do not leave his side.
Something was wrong....she just knew it. Aurelia's fingers curled slowly at her sides, the tension building without release. And what Vaelric said was not the only thing disturbing her—it was how he had said it.
That look in his eyes—She had seen it before. And every single time she had, something followed. Something she could not stop.
"My Queen?" Gwen's voice broke gently through her thoughts.
