[Lavinia's POV — Imperial Gardens—Morning—Weeks Later]
The morning air felt strangely alive.
The wind carried whispers of warmth, of new beginnings—yet my heart… it wasn't sure whether to feel light or heavy.
I sat in the garden with Papa beside me, quietly reading his newspaper as if the world hadn't nearly shattered two days ago. The smell of magnolias drifted through the breeze, the sky glowed pale gold, and for the first time in a while… things almost felt normal.
Almost.
Because beneath that peace, my heart still ached.
Still, I decided to see it as a new beginning. Because Rey's words wouldn't stop echoing in my mind:
"Your fate was stolen, Princess."
Stolen.
Those words haunted me more than any nightmare.
I finally understood—Papa, Osric… they weren't merely bound to me by coincidence or fate. Something—someone—had forced our paths, twisting love and destiny into something unrecognizable.
