By the time Aurelia reached her chambers, the faint amusement from earlier still lingered at the edges of her thoughts.
It had followed her through the corridors—through the whispers, the stares, the shifting tones of those who once mocked her without restraint. There was something almost surreal about it all. For years, she had been reduced to a spectacle, a cautionary tale wrapped in silk and a crown.
And now—Now they did not even know her.
A soft breath left her lips, something close to a laugh but not quite.
But what awaited her at the entrance to her chambers finally drew that laugh from her.
Two guards stood stationed at the entrance to her wing, as they always did. Loyal to the crown, dutiful and unyielding. And utterly oblivious.
The moment she approached, they crossed their spears before her, blocking the way.
