Cassia;
Silent tears escape me as I stare at Liandria's body. No one makes a sound. No one dares.
Liandria lies against me exactly as she was, seconds ago—her head tucked beneath my chin, her silver hair stained crimson where my trembling fingers cradle it, and her heart silent as a deserted kingdom.
She has become cold. That is the part I cannot bear. Not the blood, not the ruined flesh at her side…Not even the silence that followed her final breath.
But the cold. It crept into her skin little by little, stealing away the last traces of the woman who, only moments ago, smiled at me through unbearable pain and thanked me for loving her son.
I tighten my hold around her instinctively. As though I can somehow keep the warmth from leaving…As though my own body can bargain with death.
I know I can't. No one can.
"...Your Majesty." A guard calls, and I freeze.
His voice is quiet. Careful…Afraid. I don't answer, but he keeps speaking.
"The physician…She can't..."
