Eliora stared into Maelina's eyes, searching for any sign of doubt, but she found none. The High Seer's belief in her husband was absolute.
"To keep me safe," she repeated, the words tasting bitter on her tongue.
It was a hard pill to swallow. For months, Zarek's deliberate omissions had felt like a wall built to shut her out and remind her that she was an outsider in his world.
To think those very secrets were shields forged to keep danger away from her... it turned everything she thought she knew upside down.
"He carries the weight of the crown, Eliora," Maelina said gently, letting go of her chin. "If you both keep locking your doors against each other, the kingdom will fall not to its enemies outside, but to the emptiness between you."
Eliora took a shaky breath. The anger she had felt before was gone now. She had run out of excuses. "Thank you, Maelina." she whispered, offering a grateful nod.
