Aurelia did not move.
For several heartbeats after the dowager queen spoke, the world seemed to tilt, as though reality itself had lost its balance. The air around her felt too thin, too sharp, and she had to remind herself to breathe—to draw in oxygen so she would not embarrass herself by fainting before the most powerful woman in Virelia.
You bear his mark.
The words repeated themselves in her mind, over and over again, refusing to make sense.
'Its impossible ' She thought to herself.
Slowly, Aurelia lifted her gaze to Aelira. The dowager queen seated tall, composed, her expression carved from experience and certainty. There was no hesitation in her eyes. No hint that this was a jest, or a misunderstanding, or a theory spoken carelessly.
It frightened Aurelia more than anything else could have.
"I… I do not understand, Mother," she said at last, her voice barely above a whisper. "Please… explain it to me so I'll understand."
