"If I were the puppy," Seraphina declared, her voice echoing with the terrifying, unyielding authority of the Sovereign. "I would have stayed. I would have learned how to bite back, and I would have stood behind the guard dog and protected his back. I would have kept the den warm while he hunted. And when he came back covered in snow and blood, I would have shared the food with him. I would have told him he was a good dog."
Seraphina slid off Elara's lap, her small boots hitting the stone floor.
"You didn't save the guard dog by leaving," Seraphina said softly, looking at their devastated faces. "You just made him freeze to death from the inside out. He survived the wolves, but he forgot how to be happy."
She dusted off her pristine white dress.
She didn't wait for them to answer. She didn't wait for the tears.
Seraphina turned on her heel and walked toward the exit of the conservatory.
