🏰 Location: Private Reception Room – Emperor's Palace
đź•° Time: Sunset
Golden light streamed through the high windows, casting long beams across the cold stone floor.
Leila stood by the window, dressed in a dark gown, her face tense, her eyes holding truths left unspoken.
Nerin entered quietly, wearing her white royal robe. Her face was pale—yet her eyes, unyielding.
---
No words were exchanged at first.
Only silence… thick with pain, betrayal, and unspoken questions.
---
At last, Leila spoke, her voice low:
"I never imagined it would come to this...
Me and my husband, ruling the same land… yet walking different paths."
Nerin took a deep breath and replied:
"I did not choose this path either…
But I refused to surrender to it."
---
Suddenly, Raen—Leila's son—stepped into the room, holding a small toy, hesitating between the two women.
Leila looked at him with quiet sorrow and said:
"He sees… the shadow of his brother.
But he doesn't understand why we stand apart."
Nerin glanced at the boy, gently resting a hand on his shoulder:
"War made us enemies.
But they are our children…
They must not inherit this divide."
---
Silence lingered like a fragile thread.
Then Leila made her decision:
"We may never agree.
But for their sake, we must find a way…
Even if it's only temporary."
Nerin nodded, offering a bittersweet smile:
"It won't be easy…
But we will try."
---
Outside, the sun dipped below the horizon,
casting the room into half-darkness.
And the shadows of both women stretched long across the floor—
as if they carried the weight of all that was still to come.