Chapter 123: The Room They Offer, The Place I Keep
Lyria's POV
Immediately I stepped into the chamber, I saw her.
The Queen sat as she always did, composed, unmoving, her posture so perfect it felt rehearsed. Her gaze was already on me, sharp and unwelcoming, as though she had been waiting for the exact moment I crossed the threshold just so she could look at me like that.
Like I had done something wrong. And given what happened at the ball, perhaps in some sick way, I had.
I bowed at once.
"Your Majesty."
The words left my lips easily, but my chest felt tight. Not from fear—no, not entirely—but from the weight of everything that had happened and everything that had not.
Silence followed.
It settled quickly, stretching between us in a way that made the chamber feel smaller than it truly was. I kept my head lowered, my gaze fixed somewhere on the polished floor, waiting.
Seconds passed.
Or perhaps minutes.
I could not tell.
I was not counting.
