Ariella's POV
The queen’s laughter cracked like thin ice under too much weight.
One moment it was bright and wild, the next it dissolved into raw, choking sobs.
Her shoulders shook as she pressed both hands over her mouth, trying to hold it in, but the dam had already burst. Tears streamed down her beautiful face, cutting tracks through the faint powder she wore to hide the bruises.
I couldn’t just stand there.
I stepped forward quickly, gently taking her arm. “Come, Your Majesty,” I said through the mindlink, voice soft but firm. “Sit down before you fall.”
She let me guide her to the nearest velvet chair without resistance.
Her legs folded under her like they’d forgotten how to hold her up. I knelt beside the chair, still holding her hand, and waited while she cried.
The kind
