"I heard what happened last night. Are you okay?" Lily asked immediately she entered my bedchambers that morning.
I did not respond at first because I honestly did not know if I was okay. Everything that happened the previous night had been too much for me to process. My thoughts were still tangled up in confusion and disbelief. I could still remember the silence that followed after everything ended, the way the king personally walked me back to my chambers without uttering a single word the entire time.
That silence had somehow been louder than anything else.
I sighed softly and finally turned to look at Lily, who was watching me carefully with concern written all over her face.
"Are you okay?" she asked again, this time more gently.
"I'm fine," I replied automatically, though even to my own ears the words sounded weak and unconvincing.
Lily folded her arms beneath her chest and stared at me skeptically.
