The heavy doors closed behind the Celestial Queen with a soft thud, but the silence she left behind rang louder than any slammed entrance could have.
Kaelith made a little humming sound, her version of victory and resumed babbling to the small plush wyvern she had found on the floor.
Somewhere in the background, a servant took a cautious breath and tiptoed away, as if even his footsteps might offend someone.
Sarisa stared at the door for a long moment.
Then she let out a breath that sounded like it had been trapped in her ribs for ten years.
"I…" she began, voice quieter than usual.
Lara, lounging against a pillar now that the threat of inter-realm drama had passed, raised a brow. "If you're about to apologize for her, you don't have to."
"No," Sarisa said. "I really do."
Malvoria turned her gaze toward her 'sister-in-law' who looked, somehow, and tilted her head slightly, waiting.
Sarisa stepped forward, shifting Aliyah gently in her arms. The baby stirred but didn't wake.
