My garden looked exactly like the Hera's gardens of my reality, they looked the same. That was the terrifying part. The same shaped hedges, the same song of birds in the branches above, the same scent of warm nectar carried by the breeze.
And Aegle stood in the center of it. My Aegle… or at least the version this place had to offer.
She knelt before a blooming patch of golden flowers, her hands gently trimming the stems with a careful touch. The same grace. The same silver-laced braid hanging down her back. And yet something in her aura—it didn't hum with that warm pulse I'd grown to recognize. It felt... muted.
"Aegle," I said softly, stepping into the garden path.
She turned, face lit by recognition—but not the kind I hoped for.
"My lord!" she exclaimed, quickly standing and bowing with reverence. "I didn't hear you approach."
I smiled awkwardly, testing the waters. "You don't need to bow. You never did."
