I won't fall for the queen who burned my world-Chapter 96: I’m sorry

The warmth that had lingered beside her was gone.

Elysia stirred, her consciousness tugged from the edges of sleep as a quiet, inexplicable emptiness settled over her. It was subtle—just the faintest difference in the air, a shift in the energy of the room—but it was enough to make her aware that she was alone.

She blinked her eyes open, adjusting to the dim glow of the enchanted sconces still flickering along the walls.

Malvoria was gone.

Not that Elysia had expected her to stay.

And yet—

She exhaled, rolling onto her side, pressing her palm lightly against the mattress where Malvoria had been. It was still faintly warm. How long ago had she left? Minutes? Maybe even less?

It shouldn't have mattered.

It didn't matter.

Elysia sighed, rubbing her hands over her face before pushing herself upright. Sleep was impossible now. She had already spent most of the afternoon drifting in and out of dreams, her body finally catching up on the rest it had been deprived of since her abduction.

Now, though, she was wide awake.

The castle was quiet at this hour, the deep hush of night settling over everything like a heavy cloak. It was peaceful, in a way—too peaceful.

Elysia found herself restless.

Sitting in this bed, alone in the silence, felt suffocating.

She needed to move.

Throwing off the blankets, she swung her legs over the side of the bed, wincing slightly at the cool touch of the stone floor against her bare feet.

She grabbed a shawl from the nearby chair, wrapping it around her shoulders before making her way to the door.

She wasn't sure where she was going.

She just knew she needed to walk.

The corridors were vast and eerily still, the only sound coming from the faint rustle of fabric as she moved.

The castle at night had a different presence than during the day—there were fewer servants bustling about, fewer voices echoing off the towering walls.

The torches flickered lazily, casting elongated shadows that danced across the black marble floors and crimson banners.

It was strange.

For a place that had once seemed so foreign to her, it now felt...

Not quite safe, but no longer entirely hostile.

She trailed her fingers lightly along the smooth, cool stone of the wall as she walked.

Her thoughts drifted.

To Malvoria.

To the quiet dinner they had shared.

To the conversation about the orphanage.

Malvoria had listened.

Not dismissed her concerns, not scoffed or waved them away.

She had offered to take her back.

That wasn't the Malvoria Elysia had expected.

And yet, wasn't that how things had been lately?

Unexpected?

She pressed her lips together.

Was it just easier to pretend things hadn't changed?

To pretend that Malvoria was still just a cruel, heartless ruler and Elysia was still just a captive, waiting for an opportunity to strike?

Was that still true?

Elysia let out a quiet breath.

She didn't know.

And not knowing was frustrating.

Her pace quickened slightly, her footsteps light as she moved deeper into the hall.

She had been so caught up in her own thoughts that she wasn't paying attention—

Until she bumped into something solid.

No—

Someone.

The impact sent her stumbling slightly, and she instinctively reached out, gripping the other person's arm to steady herself.

A familiar voice.

Cool. Sharp.

"You should watch where you're going."

Elysia looked up—

And met Zera's piercing eyes.

The air between them shifted the moment their eyes met.

Elysia straightened, pulling her shawl tighter around her shoulders as she took a small step back, creating just enough distance to keep herself from feeling suffocated.

The dim torchlight flickered along the stone walls, casting elongated shadows that danced between them, the silence stretching too long, the tension coiling tight.

Zera's expression was unreadable at first, a flicker of something unspoken behind her sharp eyes, her lips pressed into a firm line.

But it wasn't her usual coldness—not the detached, calculating exterior she wore when standing beside Elysia at formal gatherings, nor the fiery, determined defiance she had carried into their last argument.

It was something else.

Something tired.

And yet, Elysia's anger had not faded.

Not after everything.

Not after what Zera had done.

She exhaled sharply, jaw clenching, the words tumbling from her mouth before she could stop them. "What do you want, Zera?"

Zera flinched.

Just barely, but Elysia caught it.

For a moment, it looked like she wasn't going to answer.

Then—

"I'm sorry."

Elysia's stomach twisted.

She forced herself to not react, to keep her stance firm, her gaze steady.

"Sorry for what?" she demanded, voice low, measured, laced with something dangerously close to resentment.

Zera hesitated.

"For—" Her hands curled into fists at her sides, tension rippling through her frame. "For what happened. For... for letting the rebels handle it. For—"

"For letting me get kidnapped?" Elysia snapped.

Zera winced. "I didn't mean for it to—"

"To what?" Elysia cut in, voice sharper than she intended. "To endanger me? To leave me bound to a chair, beaten, humiliated?" Her breath hitched slightly, fury simmering beneath her skin. "Or did you just not think about what might happen to me?"

"I thought about it!" Zera shot back, her voice breaking slightly at the edges. "I thought about everything, Elysia, and I—" She exhaled, hands trembling before she curled them into fists again, shaking her head. "I didn't want them to hurt you. That wasn't the plan."

Elysia let out a bitter laugh. "Oh, well, I guess that makes it fine, then."

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

Zera gritted her teeth. "I know you're angry."

"Angry?" Elysia's silver eyes flashed. "I'm furious, Zera. You betrayed me."

Zera's breath shuddered as she took a step closer. "I didn't—"

Elysia took a step back.

Zera stopped.

Silence.

Then, quietly—

"I love you, Elysia."

Elysia froze.

Zera's voice cracked, raw and unguarded, a confession that didn't feel like it belonged in the middle of a dimly lit hallway at night, after an argument that felt like a wound that hadn't quite healed.

But it was there.

And it hit Elysia hard.

Zera took another slow breath before continuing. "I have always loved you. I loved you before Malvoria, before the war, before everything got complicated. And now I have to watch you—" She exhaled sharply, as if the words pained her. "I have to watch you grow closer to her. I have to watch you let her in."

Elysia's throat tightened.

Zera's voice wavered.

"I don't support this, Elysia," she said, softer now. "I don't support any of it. I hate the way she looks at you. I hate the way you let her. I hate that she's winning."

Elysia's heart pounded.

But she said nothing.

She couldn't.

Because deep down, in the silence between them, she didn't know how to answer.