Elara's POV
I looked at Lena for a long moment. Her face was still. Her eyes were wet.
"You asked me why," she had said. "That is why."
I did not speak. I could not speak. My throat was closed. My chest was heavy. The woman standing in front of me was not the Lena I had known. She was a stranger wearing my best friend's face.
"Guards," I called.
The door opened. Two guards stepped inside.
"Take her to her room. Lock the door. She does not leave until I say so."
Lena did not fight. She did not argue. She walked out between the guards without looking back.
I stood alone in the study.
I found Corvus in the corridor. He was waiting.
"I need to see Kaelen," I said. "Tonight."
He looked at me for a moment. His face was still. But I could see him thinking, working through the security concerns, the risks.
"Your Majesty, after everything that has happened–"
"I do not care about the risks. I need to see him. Tonight. Bring him to the palace. Same room as last time."
