Elara's POV
The palace was quiet for the first time in months.
No shouting in the corridors. No guards running with urgent messages. No council members arguing in the chamber down the hall. Just silence. The kind of silence that comes after a storm, when the wind has stopped and the rain has ended and all that is left is the quiet.
I walked into my chambers. Kaelen followed. The door closed behind us.
I was still wearing the crown. I had been wearing it all day. Through the square. Through the stones. Through Thorn's threats. Through the council chamber. Through everything. It felt heavy on my head. Heavier than usual.
Kaelen stepped behind me. His hands came up. He lifted the crown from my head. Gently. Carefully. The way you lift something fragile.
He set it on the table.
I let him.
We sat on the floor.
