She stood and hurried toward the door.
Athalia did not have the strength to stop her.
Lira stepped into the hallway, moving fast. She had only taken a few steps when she heard a faint whisper, almost like a breeze brushing past her ear.
"Lira…"
She froze.
The hall was empty.
She looked around. "Who goes there?"
No one answered, yet she felt something soft but heavy settle over her mind, like a warm cloth pressed to her forehead. Her thoughts blurred and her breathing slowed.
A voice slipped gently into her head. It was calm, smooth, and persuasive.
"You must walk… to the courtyard. Keep walking…"
Lira tried to argue, but her mind no longer felt like her own.
"Yes…" she murmured without emotion.
Her feet obeyed the unseen command. She walked steadily toward the far end of the hall, away from the Queen's chamber, away from the physician's room. Her eyes turned glassy.
For hours I had been waiting for the right moment to enter the palace. I had watched servants come and go, watched Athalia's routines, and watched the guards switch their shifts. I had been patient, for patience was the weapon that never failed me.
My name had once carried fear in all five regions of the kingdom, but after her pact with Athalia, I had remained hidden, waiting for the child to grow to avenge my beef with the King. Hidden in the shadows, I listened for an opportunity to slip inside the palace and now it has arrived.
I stepped out from the far end of the corridor to a place where no one should have been and adjusted the hood of her travelling cloak. My face was covered, revealing only my calm steel-colored eyes.
No guard noticed me and their eyes slid past me as though I were simply air. I had prepared well.
My disguise was simple but effective with plain robes of a travelling physician, a leather pouch filled with harmless herbs, and over that, an illusion so soft that even trained eyes would not recognize it unless they stared for too long.
I walked calmly toward Athalia's chamber door and inside, Athalia struggled against exhaustion.
She opened her eyes faintly when she heard footsteps.
"Lira?" she called weakly.
The door opened slowly.
I stepped inside.
"Your Majesty," I said in a level voice, "I heard that you are unwell."
Athalia frowned faintly. "Who are you? The palace physician?"
I bowed to her. "I was passing nearby when one of your servants called for help. She seemed distressed so I followed her voice and came here."
Athalia blinked slowly. "Lira called you?"
"Yes," I said without a flicker of hesitation. "She rushed down the hallway searching for help. I came instead, for the palace physician was not in his quarters."
Athalia watched her closely. She felt weak, unfocused, but something in my voice carried a strange warmth that eased her suspicion.
I stepped closer.
"May I examine you, Your Majesty?"
Athalia hesitated. Her breath shook. "Very well. But be quick."
I knelt before her and set the wooden box on the table I opened it carefully. Inside was a round glass globe, faintly glowing with a silver-blue light.
Athalia's eyes widened slightly. "What is that?"
"A diagnostic orb," I answered smoothly. "It senses pressure inside the body and reveals what strain lies beneath. I will use it to ease the burden you feel."
Athalia nodded faintly. She was too tired to question further.
I held the globe in both hands. The glow deepened, swirling softly like mist. I whispered under my breath words Athalia could not understand and the orb shifted from blue to a pale, calming white.
"Breathe slowly," I said.
Athalia inhaled weakly.
i raised the globe and hovered it over Athalia's abdomen. The light extended like threads, weaving gentle warmth across the Queen's skin.
Almost immediately, Athalia felt the pressure inside her loosen. A weight she had carried for months slowly lifted, just enough for her to take a full breath.
She exhaled in relief. "What are you doing?"
"Suppressing the strain," I said. "The child is too strong. Your body cannot match its hunger. This will calm it for now."
Athalia looked at her with surprise. "You know?"
"I felt the imbalance the moment I stepped inside," I replied calmly. "You have been suffering in silence."
A faint tremble of emotion crossed Athalia's face. "I had no choice."
"You always have a choice," I said softly.
I lowered the globe, returning it to its box. The white glow faded and the air settled.
Athalia leaned back against her cushions. For the first time in weeks, she felt her limbs lighten and the pain no longer crushed her chest.
She spoke quietly, almost to herself, "I can breathe again."
I stood and walked to the side table, pouring Athalia a cup of water.
"Drink this," I instructed. "Your strength will return slowly."
Athalia drank, her hands steadying.
"Who are you?" she asked suddenly.
I paused. "A physician."
"A physician… with a globe that works like magic?"
"A tool is only as mysterious as you make it," she replied with a subtle smile. "What matters is that you feel relief."
Athalia seemed to study me carefully. But at that moment, she needed help more than she needed certainty.
"What is your name?" Athalia asked.
"Selene," I said easily.
"Selene…" Athalia repeated. "I want you to remain in the palace. As my personal physician."
I bowed my head. "If that is your wish."
"It is," Athalia said firmly. "No one else has been able to help me. Stay by my side until this child is born."
I lifted my gaze, and for a heartbeat Athalia saw the faintest glimmer of satisfaction behind the calm expression but I hid it quickly.
"As you command, Your Majesty."
My face remained serene, but my thoughts were sharp as a blade. The pact had begun to bear fruit and now I stood exactly where I needed it to be, inside the palace, beside the Queen, trusted, and closer than ever to the child that carried the power of my vengeance.
Athalia rested her head against her pillows, her breathing steadier. She closed her eyes, letting the rare sense of ease wash over her.
She whispered, "Thank you, Selene."
I bowed once more. Then I turned away, as my cloak brushed softly against the floor, and I walked toward the door.
Only I knew the truth.
The next morning, she lay still, staring at the pale ceiling above her bed. The room was dim, lit only by a single candle that burned low beside the window. Her breath felt shallow and each inhale seemed to take effort.
She placed a hand over her stomach.
"Easy," she whispered. "Please."
The child responded not with pain, but with a subtle pressure, as if it were listening. Athalia had learned to recognize these moments. The child did not always hurt her. Sometimes it only reminded her of its presence, of its need.
She turned her head slightly and saw me seated in the chair near the wall. I had not been there when Athalia fell asleep, yet she was not surprised to see me.
"You're awake," I said calmly.
Athalia nodded. "It's early."
"You were restless," I replied. "I felt it."
Athalia did not ask how. She no longer questioned my awareness. Since i had become her personal physician, strange things had become almost ordinary.
"I feel weak again," Athalia admitted quietly. "Not like before, but enough to notice."
I rose and walked to the bedside. I checked Athalia's pulse with gentle fingers, with my expression composed.
"The child is growing," I said. "Its needs are increasing."
Athalia closed her eyes briefly. "And mine are being forgotten?."
I said nothing at first. I reached into the small pouch i always carried and withdrew a vial filled with clear liquid.
"Drink," I said.
Athalia obeyed. The liquid tasted faintly of herbs and something metallic, though not unpleasant. Within moments, a mild warmth spread through her chest, easing the tightness in her limbs.
She exhaled. "That helps."
"It will," I said. "Even though only for a time."
Athalia opened her eyes. "How long can this continue?"
I met her gaze steadily. "Long enough."
Athalia searched my face. "You haven't told me everything about this child. Is he unwell?."
I smiled faintly. "It shouldn't trouble you, your majesty."
Athalia did not argue. She was too tired to explain what pact she had made to get the child, but she understood it and wasn't ready to share the secret with any other person.
But there were things she didn't know.