The light in the room was only the intermittent glow of gas lamps, dancing with the smoke of gunpowder. The floor smelled of iron... and disappointment. No one was in their proper place anymore. Chairs were upturned. Papers were scattered. Everything pointed to an end... or another beginning.
William sat on the floor, pressing on a wound on his shoulder, but he still smiled. His gaze was lost, not in the pain of the body, but in the confusion of the heart.
🃏 William (in a hoarse voice):331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcsaGpjvDzN
"You know, Elizabeth? I didn't expect you to drop me... but to hold the knife in your hand."
Elizabeth was standing, blood on her forearm, but it wasn't her own. Her hand didn't tremble, her eye didn't well. But she was teetering between triumph... and emptiness.
♠ Elizabeth:331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoXmm7iWj6Q
"I learned from the best... but I didn't want to end it like this."
🃏 William (looking into her eyes):331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbaf13rNkfI
"We could have been allies, you know?... if we weren't reflections of the same flaw."
♠ Elizabeth (in a low voice):331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm2SEf9Cq1v
"And that flaw... is that we can't trust anyone."
In the corner of the room, Madeleine sat quietly on a slumped chair, watching the scene, leg over leg, as if watching one last play.
❤️ Madeleine:331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBGvf0M7NjM
"Nice, isn't it? A poetic ending. Blood, betrayal, half-baked love, and words worthy of a grave."
♠ Elizabeth (turning her face toward her):331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4XllBdC7wA
"You're not out of the game yet, Madeleine."
❤️ Madeleine:331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT6aHqAJbpV
"And I don't claim to be. But you won the round. As for the war... who knows who's starting it again."
...
Then John enters, his face covered in dust and light blood, his eyes searching only for her: Elizabeth.
♠ John:331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgKRLMjuqin
"It's over?"
♠ Elizabeth (shaking her head):331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNrtXBNhKXG
"Nothing ends... but it changes."
John approaches, looking at the wounded William, then at the weapon in Elizabeth's hand.
♠ John:331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQzDZRWTtwU
"Did you... kill him?"
♠ Elizabeth (looking at William):331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ9ihcP63Zz
"No. I couldn't. And I don't want to."
🃏 William (with a wry smile):331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ17Ol6OQsNH
"That's what makes you different. And maybe... stronger."
♠ John:331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfSJFW3apDj
"What now? The council is over, Terence's men have fled, and the past is all but destroyed."
♠ Elizabeth:331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5mTXDKb9pw
"We start over. We fix what we can. And we let the rest burn."
❤️ Madeline:331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBWUeXNJAlw
"And do you believe fire purifies?"
♠ Elizabeth:331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwlTzlTgxN9
"Rather, I believe some of the ashes are fit to be replanted."
…
In the final scene of the chapter,331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKqrz1N2ERa
Sir Terence's body is carried out of the palace.331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ28V2U5qL3j
William is taken to a treatment room, but he doesn't ask for anything. He only asks for a pen and paper.
He writes:331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP1CVCoEBs9
"To you who read me as I read papers,331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV9j4l5wZCE
You were the paper that is revealed only when the table is turned."
He signs it: - William
...
At the top of the palace, Elizabeth stands before the window, looking down at the city below... the city that had consumed her, then given her victory.
♠ Elizabeth (to herself):331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDxnwIAZtra
"I have lost many things... but I am no longer afraid of falling."
Then, she closes the window. The wind begins to howl again.
ns216.73.216.204da2
and then Add to home screen.