Ayesha's face drained of color as the familiar woman walked toward them.
"What's wrong, Mother?" Lyra asked, tugging at her sleeve.
Before Ayesha could answer, the woman stopped in front of them, her eyes brimming with tears.
"It's true! His Majesty did it—he truly found you!" she gasped, her gaze locked on Lyra.
Ayesha's breath caught. Her lips parted, the words barely a whisper. "Marie?"
It felt like seeing a ghost. Marie was dead. Ayesha had been there, had held her sister-in-law's hand as she drew her final breath after giving birth to Lyra.
Yet the woman standing before her looked exactly like Marie—right down to the black, shoulder-length curls and those unmistakable amber eyes.
"Lyra, come here," the woman said warmly, holding out her arms. "I'm your Aunt Aries… your mother's twin."
