"Leadership isn’t about being perfect. It’s about standing tall, even when the world wants to see you fall."
The first murmurs reached me at dawn.
Servants whispered in the hallways, their hushed tones brushing against the edges of my senses like nettles. Advisors exchanged uneasy glances during council meetings, their words carefully chosen, their eyes wary. And in the streets, the people’s fear had taken root, spreading like a weed.
“She’s dangerous.”
“She can’t control her magic.”
“What if next time it’s worse?”
The doubts hung in the air, thick and suffocating. No matter how much I told myself that I was doing everything I could to atone, it wasn’t enough. Not for them. Not yet.
I stood on the balcony overlooking the city, the weight of their judgment pressing against my chest.
