44: WHISPERS OF SOMETHING NEW

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The sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the vast palace halls, a frantic rhythm against the cold marble floors. The air was thick with tension, as if the walls themselves had absorbed the unrest brewing within the kingdom. The golden handles of the throne room doors gleamed under the dim torchlight, standing slightly ajar as if hesitant to reveal the chaos unfolding beyond them. 

And then, like a storm tearing through the night, Lady Vaelor stumbled inside. 

A deep, red blood stain bloomed across the front of her gown, Her trembling hands clutched at the gaping wound on her throat, desperate to stem the flow. Her breath came in ragged, wheezing gasps, her body convulsing as she dropped to her knees before the throne. 

"My king," she choked out, her voice raw, splintered with agony. Tears mixed with sweat, streaking her pale cheeks as she reached forward, her fingers trembling violently. "The queen… she—she attacked me!"