The words settled slowly not loud, not cruel, but deep enough to still Liv completely.
Her hand tightened over her belly.
No one spoke after that.
Only the leaves shifted softly above them, and the roses continued to bloom beautiful, serene, as though the world were not quietly preparing for something far greater.
And Liv smiled.
A polite smile. The smile of a Duchess.
While inside her chest, that fear returned pulsing more clearly than ever before.
Liv drew a deep breath, trying to steady the tremor in her chest before it turned into something she could no longer control. She kept her shoulders straight, her fingers wrapped firmly around her teacup as if the heat could anchor her thoughts, keep them from drifting too far.
"Why is it," she asked softly, almost as if speaking to herself,"a problem if the mother is human?"
Azura did not answer immediately.
