{No one's POV, 3rd person perspective. Continuation.}
Seraphina stood frozen in the doorway while the pressure crushing her chest refused to ease. The tears burning behind her eyes threatened constantly to spill over, yet she fought them back with everything she had left because somewhere deep inside her mind a voice still insisted that crying now would mean weakness. She was the Crown Princess. The Ice Witch. A soon to be Villainess. The woman nobles feared enough to lower their heads the moment she entered a room. She was not supposed to fall apart like this.
But Maribel took one slow step toward her.
Then another.
And suddenly Seraphina realized Maribel's eyes looked suspiciously bright too, not furious anymore, not murderous, just hurt, deeply hurt.
As though watching Seraphina suffer was tearing through her just as painfully.
That realization alone made Seraphina's throat tighten dangerously.
