There, slumped on the cold stone floor beside the heavy velvet drapes of the bed, lay Valex’s mother. She was completely motionless, her pale face turned toward the window as if she had been staring at the sky. There was no struggle, no signs of a fight—just a devastating and quiet finality that filled the entire room.

A few inches away from her resting hand lay a single piece of parchment, the ink stark against the white paper. Valex stared at her, gripping Odesse’s shoulder tightly. Kael stopped dead in his tracks by the doorway, his hand instinctively dropping from his sword hilt as he bowed his head.

Valex walked slowly toward the body, while Odesse remained on the ground, tears flowing down her cheeks as she watched him. He reached her and fell to his knees beside her, his eyes unable to release tears or show any emotions; they felt lost. He looked at her face, then her neck, scanning her entire body until he finally looked down, feeling like a fallen man. He noticed the parchment paper and slowly picked it up. Odesse stood up weakly and walked toward Valex, kneeling beside him. She looked at him, his eyes unreadable, as she held his arm.

He opened the paper, and it made a crinkling sound in the quiet room. The writing was messy, as if it had been written in her dying moments, with stains of blood and splatters of ink covering it. Odesse’s eyes were blurry with tears as she wiped them and focused on the words in the letter.

---

"To my Son, Valex,

If you see this letter, it must mean you have found my body. To tell you the truth, my son, I regret whatever I did to you. Your father’s foolish mistake caused the rift in our relationship, but I cannot blame him; I was the one who put you through so much by taking away your mother. Malrik is not my son; your father had relations with a Hollow Walker, and when she began threatening us, I needed to save his reputation as a king, so I killed her.

When Malrik went missing for a month and returned changed, I worried he had discovered his lineage and about what I had done. I had no idea what he was capable of, so I felt I needed to protect you by taking his side in everything. The guilt eats me up every day, my son. Your father warned me, but I never listened. When Malrik dethroned you, I begged him to step down, but he refused. He told me that if I supported him, he would not harm you. I only discovered he placed a curse on you when I eavesdropped on his conversation with his elders.

I know my actions were foolish and cannot be justified; I could have handled this better, but the fear of Malrik finding out his true identity was very real because he had known since that day, and worst of all, he saw me. Carrying the blood of an innocent woman and a young girl eats at my soul. I am relieved that Malrik is gone for good. It brings me joy that you have found a wife who brings you happiness, my son.

I only wanted to protect you, but I ended up hurting you. Forgive me. My foolishness cost me my relationship with you, and I will forever regret my decision, even in the land of the dead. Your invitation for me to the palace made me deeply happy; your wife is truly a gem. I felt so grateful when you called me family.

But I cannot bear the pain and guilt that my past has brought upon me, so it is better that I leave this world and find my punishment elsewhere. My soul shall continue to wander endlessly, but I shall have peace knowing you have a wife who will take care of you, my son. I love you, my son, forever and always.

I do not wish for a ceremonial or extravagant burial. I only want a few people to put me to rest: you, my son; your wife; the elders; and the servants of the palace. Please do this the day after you have found my body.

Your mother."

---

The letter dropped from Valex’s hands, and tears rolled down his face. He lunged into Odesse’s arms, crying and soaking her dress with his tears. Odesse held him tightly, as if protecting him, her hands gripping his hair as tears streamed down her face.

Valex’s voice wavered as he struggled to speak, "She... she..." He couldn’t finish his sentence; his voice was clouded with grief, and he buried his face into Odesse’s chest while his hands hung limply around her waist. Odesse, unable to speak, looked at the body with pain and tears in her eyes. Kael, still standing at the door, bowed his head as tears fell to the floor, his body trembling.

...

A full day had passed, but inside the Silverclaw palace, the hours bled together. Valex hadn’t moved from the bedside. He sat in a low chair, his gaze fixed on the floor, his large frame completely still as he carried the silent weight of his grief. Odesse had stayed by his side the entire night, but as the cold morning light began to creep through the windows, she knew he needed something to ground him.

Quietly slipping her hand out of his, she stood up on aching legs. Her throat was dry, and she realized Valex hadn’t swallowed a drop of water since their arrival. She decided to head down to the kitchens herself to fetch some warm ginger tea—something sharp and comforting to help him breathe through the heaviness in his chest.

The grand hallways were freezing and quiet as Odesse walked down, her footsteps echoing softly against the stone. As she came down the main staircase, the heavy oak doors at the end of the corridor opened. Kael walked in first, his expression grim and exhausted. Behind him followed a small group of royal female cleaners from the servant quarters, carrying folded white linens, fresh water basins, and sweet-smelling herbs to prepare the queen mother for her burial.

Odesse paused, stepping to the side to let them pass. As the women walked by with their heads bowed in somber respect, one of the younger girls at the back slowed her pace. She lifted her head, her eyes wide as she caught sight of Odesse standing against the wall.

"Odesse?" Cara whispered, her voice breaking the heavy silence of the hall.

Odesse blinked, looking closer at the soft features of the girl. The exhaustion in her mind cleared for a brief moment as recognition set in. "Cara?"

Cara took a half-step forward, her hands tightening around the linens she was carrying. Tears welled up in her eyes, a mixture of the shared grief hanging over the palace and the pure shock of seeing her old friend standing before her as the Queen. Kael stopped, turning his head back to look at them, but he didn’t interrupt. He quietly signaled for the rest of the cleaners to continue toward the bedchamber, giving the two women a private moment in the dim corridor. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Cara walked toward Odesse and hugged her tightly, tears streaming down both their cheeks. Cara pulled back and looked at Odesse with a smile. "Odesse, is this really you?"

Odesse smiled gently, her eyes not glistening but her chest warm with memories. "I have missed you a lot, Cara," she replied, her voice filled with emotion.

Tears rolled down Cara’s face as she said, "I have missed you a lot too, Odesse. You have no idea." Her voice became low and wavering as she murmured, "The Queen..."

Odesse replied softly, "She’s gone, unfortunately." Just then, a footstep echoed from the stairs, and both women looked up. Odesse saw that it was Valex. She smiled and walked slowly toward him, saying, "My King."

As Cara watched, he descended the stairs slowly. Odesse held out her hands, and he took them firmly. "Where did you go to, my love?" he whispered, his voice barely above a breath.

Odesse smiled warmly. "I wanted to make ginger tea for you."

He replied, "Some people came into the room, Kael is in there with them, but they make me feel suffocated." Odesse placed her palm softly against his cheek and said gently, "My King, they are there to clean your mother’s body, for her resting."

Valex spoke in a low voice, only audible to Odesse, "Don’t leave me, please." Tears rolled down her face as she shook her head and said, "I won’t, my King." She hugged him tightly, trying to comfort him.

Cara, who stood not too far away, watched them both. A warm smile spread across her face as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Is this the man Malrik made people fear for being cursed?, that dead foolish fellow." she remarked.

...

The dark canopy of the night sky hung low over the private clearing behind the Silverclaw estate. The air was biting and crisp, filled with the thick, grounding scent of burning pine and dried winter herbs from the ceremonial brazier.

Valex stood at the very front of the clearing, his large frame rigid against the cold. Odesse stood right beside him, her fingers laced securely through his, providing the only warmth he had to hold onto. Kael stood a half-step behind them, his posture stiff and his head bowed in somber respect. Directly ahead of them, a lone pack elder stood by the dark wooden casket, his weathered hands resting on the polished surface as he murmured the final, ancient pack rites.

Behind Valex and Odesse, the other seven elders stood in a loose, protective arc, their heavy wool cloaks shifting slightly in the night wind as they lent their silent presence to the grieving king.

Further back, the few servants who had remained loyal to the estate, men, women, and a couple of children, stood huddled together. All of them were dressed in deep black, their faces pale under the flickering light of the torches. There were no massive crowds, no grand political spectacles—just a handful of souls gathered in the quiet dark.

The head elder finished the final prayer, his voice dipping into a low, resonant register. With a slow nod from Kael, the guards holding the heavy ropes slowly, steadily lowered the royal casket into the earth. Valex didn’t blink. His jaw remained clenched, his grip on Odesse’s hand tightening to a near-crushing point as the finality of the moment settled into the dirt. Odesse leaned into his shoulder, letting her silent tears fall against his dark cloak as they watched the casket disappear.