"I won't let anything happen to either of them," Zilia said firmly, standing before the Queen with unwavering resolve.
"You shouldn't," Queen Mabel replied coldly. "That's the least you can do to redeem yourself, for what you've done to this family."
A few steps away, Amelie and Karmen had just arrived. They stopped at a distance, observing the tense exchange.
"Do you think she would truly abandon her son," Amelie whispered, "if he chose to protect Zilia and Idris too?"
Karmen's gaze remained on the Queen. "Who knows. She turned her back on Gabriel after that old prophecy, without a second thought. If Prince Casaio stands in her way, she'll cast him aside just as easily. That's how she operates."
Amelie glanced at him and squinted her eyes. The words that Gabriel told her before made her realize that she might've made a mistake in judging the Queen.
