When Eren and Lissana arrived at the queen’s office, the air felt different—heavy and tense.
The two guards who had opened the doors of the mauve tower were leaving at that precise moment. Their faces were pale, rigid, as if they had just passed through a storm.
As they crossed paths with Eren, they averted their eyes.
Lissana felt a shiver run down her spine.
“I don’t like this,” she whispered.
Eren squeezed her hand.
He approached the door and knocked firmly.
“Can we come in?”
There was a brief silence.
“Come in.”
Enora’s voice wasn’t angry.
It sounded… tired.
Eren opened the door.
The queen was sitting behind her dark wooden desk. The light coming through the tall windows cast soft shadows on her face. She didn’t seem upset.
She seemed weary, as if she had aged years in a
