Under the Night Sky
Azael gulped.
"Your Majesty... did you actually hear everything?"
Celestia turned her head and looked at him. Those crystal blue eyes settled on him with complete calm.
"Of course I did," she said simply. "I was standing a short distance away. But at my level, that means very little. A little concentration, a thin thread of mana directed toward the ears—" she paused briefly.. "and distance stops being relevant."
Azael nodded slowly.
He opened his mouth to say something.
Celestia spoke first.
"He is my son," she said. Her voice was even, carrying no particular emotion on the surface. "I know him better than anyone in this world. I have known for a long time that his heart belongs to someone else."
Azael closed his mouth.
"Then.." he said carefully, after a moment... "why did you proceed with the arrangement? If you already knew?"
Celestia looked back out over the city.
