[Lavinia's POV—Later—Irethene Forest]
He kneeled for her.
He knelt for her.
That was all my mind could whisper. Over and over again. The forest trailed behind me in silence. Even the birds had forgotten their songs. I could still hear her scream—thin, desperate, almost beautiful in its helplessness—but louder than that was his voice. Osric's voice. Kneeling. Pleading.
For her.
The sound had carved itself into my chest like a blade that refused to stop twisting. Marshi's footsteps followed me at a distance—cautious, respectful. He always knew when not to speak. He understood my silence better than that of a human who just knelt for another woman.
The same woman who had once taken my life from me.
Sir Haldor's armor clinked faintly behind, a dull rhythm that grated against the pounding in my skull. Every step forward felt like walking barefoot over shards of my own pride.
"Your Highness…" Sir Haldor's voice came softly, hesitant, as though even sound itself feared me.
