Morning light filled the queen's chambers, soft and golden. But inside, Queen Seraphina felt cold.
She sat up slowly, her hands trembling as she lifted the hem of her nightgown. The marks were still there—thin, red vine-like lines curling around her legs, just like in the dream.
They hadn't faded.
They were real.
A knock at the door made her flinch.
"Your Majesty?" her maid's voice called gently. "May I come in?"
Seraphina quickly pulled her nightgown back down. "Yes, come in," she said, keeping her voice calm.
The maid entered and began preparing the queen's bath with warm water and soft herbs. Seraphina walked carefully, making sure to hide the marks as she stepped in. The water was soothing, but her mind wasn't still.
She kept thinking about the dream.
Two figures had stood before her: the glowing girl, and the angelic man.
The man looked like light itself—beautiful, calm, with a gentle voice. Everything about him made her feel like she should go to him, as if he could take away all her burdens.
But it was the girl who truly pulled at her heart.
Silent, radiant, peaceful—her presence felt more true.
The man looked like comfort, but something beneath his beauty felt… wrong.The girl said nothing, but her quiet call was stronger than any words.
Seraphina dried off, dressed, and sat before the mirror as the maid did her hair in careful braids. She stared at her reflection, but her mind was already elsewhere.
She would go to the High Priestess. She had to.
But not yet.
First, she had to attend the Royal Council.
Another meeting. Another long day of holding herself together.
The kingdom was suffering—animals dying strangely, people found dead without wounds, and rivers running dry. Fear was spreading. Whispers filled the palace halls.
They looked to her for answers.
She stood, wearing a deep blue velvet gown, heavy with golden thread. Her crown rested on her brow. She looked like a ruler—strong, graceful.
But inside… she felt like a girl still trying to breathe under the weight of a crown.
"One more meeting," she whispered to herself."Then I'll go. I'll find her."