It rained the next morning
Not the soft kind that whispered through trees
but the kind that soaked you to the bone before you could even blink
Aelira stood outside the crumbled veil barefoot and barefooted and completely done with pretending she wasn’t freezing
Astren came up behind her with two steaming mugs in his hands
He handed her one without speaking but she could feel the way his eyes stayed on her shoulder blades
She didn’t say thank you
Didn’t even look at him
Not because she was mad
But because everything felt too big again
Like the gods were watching and judging her outfit choices
Nice crown Aelira
Totally casual
Totally queen-like
“You okay?” Astren asked finally and his voice was too gentle too knowing
She took a sip of the tea which tasted like herbs and regret
