LEAH
My eyes are fixed on Queen Reyna in her beautiful regalia. Everything about her speaks aura and power. She sits like a carved goddess, regal and untouchable.
Her words echo in my head over and over again. “The Council is my family now. That is enough.” There's something hollow in her voice. I wonder what it must be like to have that much power but no family. No warmth, nothing. Just an empire of solitude.
"Doesn’t it get lonely?" I ask, my voice quiet.
She looks at me, her expression unreadable. Lucian tenses beside me, his hand ghosting over mine on the table.
"Lonely?" Queen Reyna arches a brow, amused. "Now that’s a strange question."
I offer a small smile, trying not to shrink under her piercing gaze. "You just seem... like someone who’s had to stand alone for a long time
