enjoyebooks CHAPTER 51
CHAPTER 51
POV: Evangeline
The sun feels too bright today, almost mocking in its warmth. I walk through the capital with Georgina at my side, my guards trailing behind us as the crowd opens to let their Queen pass. I smile when I’m expected to, bow when tradition demands it, and greet every citizen with the same gentle tone.
Inside, I feel nothing.
Georgina remains close, linking her arm with mine as we move from one street to another. “Are you alright?” she whispers for the fifth time.
“I’m busy,” I answer flatly. “There’s too much to do today.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
I stop to greet a baker who bows deeply and thanks me for supporting the new grain policy. I murmur polite words, ask after his family, promise to visit again someday. He beams.
When we walk on, Georgina sighs. “Evangeline, you don’t have to pretend with me. Is this about Sebastian?”
“I don’t want to talk about him,” I say, sharper than I intend.
She squeezes my arm gently. “You can’t keep avoiding the subject forever.”
I look ahead, forcing my gaze onto the marketplace where citizens bustle with baskets, children, and laughter. “I’m not avoiding anything. I’m doing my duty.”
“You’re hurting,” Georgina says softly.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It does,” she insists. “Sebastian loves you.”
I choke on a bitter laugh. “Love didn’t save Alexandro.” My voice tightens. “Love didn’t stop Henry from entering our lives. Love didn’t stop any of this.”
Georgina stops walking, pulling me aside. “You can’t blame Sebastian for the curse.”
“I don’t blame him for the curse,” I snap. “I blame him for everything that came after it.”
Her eyes widen slightly, concern creeping deeper into her expression. “Evangeline…”
But I march on, refusing to let tears rise here—not in front of citizens, not in front of my friend, not in front of the world that sees me as the Queen who should have everything under control.
We continue greeting citizens, listening to their concerns, offering guidance on disputes, market taxes, and trading routes. I play my part with practiced grace, but beneath my smiles, dread coils tightly.
The kingdom needs a whole Queen.
But I am in pieces.
We reach the end of the market street when a sudden hush falls over the crowd. An old, blind woman steps forward, her wrinkled hands reaching into the air as if feeling for the shape of my presence.
“Your Majesty,” she croaks.
Georgina stiffens immediately. “Evangeline, let’s keep moving.”
But something in the woman’s voice roots me in place.
She lifts her head, cloudy eyes unfocused yet piercing. “The threads of fate tremble around you…”
A murmur ripples through the crowd.
I force a polite tone. “Madam, please step aside. We’re passing through.”
She doesn’t move. Instead, she raises a shaking finger toward me. “You walk on breaking ground, Queen of Shadows.”
A chill races down my spine.
“Enough,” Georgina says firmly. “Move aside.”
But the oracle continues, voice rising. “You have already lost one piece of your heart. And you will lose more. Slowly… one by one… everything you hold dear will be taken from you.”
My breath stops. The crowd collectively gasps. Mothers clutch their children. Merchants step back as if fearful of being near me.
“I said enough,” I hiss, stepping forward. “Leave my sight.”
The old woman tilts her head. “You cannot outrun what is written.”
My voice cracks. “Leave!”
Guards rush in, gently guiding her away. She doesn’t resist. She simply lowers her head and mutters, “The storm is coming. And you will stand alone.”
“Evangeline,” Georgina whispers, grabbing my arm. “Let’s go. Now.”
I let her pull me away, but my legs feel like stone. People whisper as we pass.
“She will lose everything?”
“Is the Queen cursed?”
“Did you hear—everything she still has?”
My throat tightens until breathing becomes a battle.
As soon as we reach the palace gates, I break free of Georgina’s hold and stride inside. “I don’t want anyone speaking of this,” I say sharply.
“Evangeline—”
“I said I don’t want to hear it!” I snap, louder than intended.
Georgina goes silent, watching me with worry etched into her expression.
We enter the marble hallway, cool and vast. A familiar figure appears near the staircase—Sebastian. The moment our eyes meet, something twists painfully inside me.
He steps toward me. “You’re back. I was worried. I heard rumors in the square—”
“I don’t need your concern,” I say flatly.
He stops, wounded. “Evangeline… can we talk? Please.”
“No.”
His jaw tightens. “I know you’re hurting. But shutting me out only—”
“Sebastian, do not lecture me,” I snap.
He takes a breath, trying to steady himself. “Let me help you.”
“You can’t,” I say, voice trembling. “You can’t help me, you can’t help the kingdom, you can’t stop Henry, and you couldn’t even save Alexandro!”
The words hit him like physical blows. He steps back, eyes hollow. “That isn’t fair.”
“Fair?” My voice cracks. “Nothing about this is fair. Not what happened to Alexandro. Not what our sons are going through. Not what I saw today.”
“What did you see?” he asks quietly.
“An oracle,” I whisper. “She said I’ll lose everything I still have.”
Sebastian reaches for me, but I jerk away. “Don’t touch me.”
“Please,” he whispers, voice breaking. “Let me be there for you.”
“You being here is WHY everything is falling apart!” I shout.
The echo of my voice rings through the hall.
Sebastian’s face crumples. “Evangeline…”
I turn away from him, shaking. “I can’t do this right now.”
He steps toward me again, desperate. “We can face this together. We can—”
Before he can finish, rapid footsteps pound against the marble.
A knight bursts into the hallway, armor clattering, breathless and pale.
“Your Majesties!” he shouts, voice cracking. “There’s—there’s emergency news!”
All of us freeze.