She nodded, not trusting her voice.
The walk back was longer than the walk there. Each step required focus. The headache had spread, a band of pressure wrapping around her entire skull. Heat pulsed under her skin in waves—still subtle enough to hide, but getting worse.
[26:52:17]
Twenty-six hours. She'd lost two hours to that pointless meeting and gained six new political enemies.
Worth it, she decided. At least now they knew she wouldn't be pushed.
They reached her chambers. Mira took one look at her face and paled. "Your Highness—"
"I know," Elara said, sinking onto the sofa. "Get Cullens. And Demorti. They should know it's starting early."
Mira fled.
The System mouse settled on the cushion beside her. "You couldn't just rest like a normal person," it said without heat. "Had to go intimidate nobles while poisoned."
"They needed intimidating," Elara said. Her eyes closed. "And I'm always poisoned now. That's the baseline."
"Fair point."
