Astria's voice shattered the moment.
"No, it cannot be!"
I turned sharply at the sound, and what I saw made me pause in a way I hadn't expected. She wasn't just upset or unsettled. She was breaking apart right in front of us, her composure gone entirely, her breathing uneven, her hands trembling as she clutched tightly at Kaiden like he was the only thing keeping her grounded.
"No… no, no," she kept repeating, shaking her head as if sheer denial could undo what had already been said. "She is not the Fae Queen. You are. You are still here, you're standing right here in front of me."
Her voice cracked on the last words, thin and fragile in a way that made the room feel heavier.
Lirael's expression softened, not with surprise, but with something quieter and more painful, and I felt that same strange tightening in my chest again, the one I kept choosing to ignore.
