Olessia pushed the bowl away again. She couldn't force a single bite down. Not after watching Ziven clutch his chest and collapse right in front of everyone. The moment kept circling her mind like it refused to rest, and the thought she hated most kept slipping in... "What if it was because of me?"
The noise from earlier still echoed in her head. The cook shouting, the guards rushing in, the maids panicking, the noble ladies whispering, and Kaive calling for help.
Everyone talking at once, moving at once. And in the middle of it, her, frozen like she didn't know what her own body was supposed to do.
At least the palace physician had arrived quickly. That tiny relief was the only thing keeping her from breaking apart completely. He and his assistants had gone straight into Ziven's chamber, shutting the door behind them.
