He spoke in a very soft voice.
"Child, the Crown Tax isn't paid with crowns."
The crown fell to the ground.
Petals scattered everywhere, like a shattered heart.
Eloise knelt down.
Her knees hit the wooden floor with a dull thud that made one's teeth ache. Her tears fell in large drops into the gaps in the floorboards, and a stifled sob echoed from beneath the stage.
"Then what can I offer? I... I have nothing left but this."
The sobs were full of despair.
Her skirt was spread on the ground like broken wings.
"I beg you, I implore you to ring that bell for us at dusk tomorrow, just once."
Sitting in the audience, Mignes clutched the armrest tightly, as if grasping a heart that had leaped into his throat.
He could feel that suffocating sensation.
