~His eyes held the words in a language that she couldn't remember to read ~
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Elara walked briskly down the corridor, her heels clicking sharply against the stone floors, each step echoing in the silent halls. Beside her walked Given, his presence solid and quiet, with Lord Elliot trailing a few steps behind, along with a small group of guards. The heavy weight of the morning's events pressed on her, but her mind remained preoccupied with thoughts of Darius.
The way he had looked at her last night—those unspoken words, the ones that hovered between them yet were never spoken. It was as if there was something important he had wanted to say, but instead, he had held it back. Elara couldn't shake the feeling that something was left unfinished, a question left unasked. Darius had been a constant force in her life, and now, even in his silence, he loomed large in her thoughts.
Last night, she had returned to Given's chambers to find him fast asleep, a quiet calm that allowed her mind to race in the stillness of the room. It was then, in the silence of his bedchamber, that the echoes of her past with Darius seemed to haunt her .
What she had shared with that man could never be forgotten and undone , even thought she couldn't remember fully. The bond still lingered , echoing in her mind and crying to be redeemed.
She quickly dismissed the thought as she focused on her surroundings, steeling herself for the day ahead. But she couldn't help but think, Was it possible to erase the past ?
"Your Majesty," Lord Elliot's voice broke through her thoughts, pulling her back into the present. She blinked, shifting her gaze to see him holding the door to the room open for her. She nodded, offering a brief smile as she passed him and entered.
Given followed, his expression as unreadable as always, while Lord Elliot slipped in behind them. The three of them settled into the large room, with Elliot immediately taking the lead. He began explaining their strategy, outlining the steps they could take to win the case that had been thrust upon Given , but Elara's mind wandered once more.
Elliot was a reliable ally, but Given had warned her not to trust him fully, as in the past, she had never done so. Apparently, and not surprisingly, she never shared her thoughts with anyone. Given, Leroy, and a few others—whom Given wouldn't mention because she had to discover them on her own—would be left to guess who she hated, trusted, and liked the most. She wasn't surprised. She could never speak what was on her mind, and it was something her mother had struggled with as well.
Her mother ? The thought struck her like a bolt of lightning. The question hit her harder than she expected.'She has a mother ? Who is she ? Where is she ?'
Her chest tightened as the familiar sense of loss resurfaced, but she buried it quickly. She couldn't afford to let emotions cloud her judgment now. She was the Queen, and emotions were luxury she couldn't afford.
Lord Elliot's voice brought her back to reality. "Your Majesty?" He asked, his brow furrowed into concentration as he stared at Given's bruised face. "May I ask how all of this will help you in this case?"
Elara turned, meeting Given's gaze for a moment before responding. "Since the Queen Mother wouldn't agree to handling this matter privately, without the court and laws involved, I'll use what they did behind closed doors as my upper hand. What they did is a crime, and they have no right to hit a person under questioning. I will expose during the trial."
Elliot nodded, but his face remained unreadable, as it often did. His voice was steady when he spoke. "Let us hope you are not put to execution or years in prison."
Elara shot him a glance, but he simply gave a small, warm smile in return. She couldn't read him, not fully. Yet his words had a calming effect, a reassurance that she would have allies—if only she could trust them completely.
"Hopefully," Given added with a forced smile, his voice betraying none of the concern that lingered beneath the surface. His thoughts were elsewhere, on things that his mind couldn't fully register . 'What had pushed Lyric to do such?'
"What should I prepare for when announcing my new head of guards?" Elara asked, focusing her thoughts once more on the matter at hand as they walked toward the courtroom.
Lord Elliot pursed his lips in thought, his gaze drifting upward as he considered the question. "Head guard? Not much, really. But—" They reached the doors of the council room, and Elliot stopped, turning to Elara. "I'll inform you more after the court meeting, Your Majesty. For now, let us fight to win this case—for everyone."
Elara nodded, steeling herself for what was to come. There was no turning back now.