The wind in Red Trap Valley stopped — as if the very earth held its breath.306Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr58wBeA2eU
Elara couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak. Her heartbeat was too loud in her ears.
“I… I’m a princess?” Her voice cracked, barely a whisper.
The words felt like someone else’s story — not hers. Not the girl who wore torn shoes and cried by a dried-up well. Not the girl who was never wanted.
Kael’s sword dropped slightly. His lips parted, but no sound came.306Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiIrS9EFFXS
Even Vishkaniya — the Queen of Shadows — stepped back, her long fingers curling like claws. This was not in her plan.
“I never believed you,” she growled at the old woman, eyes burning.306Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2uCI41Z38p
"You think I’d be fooled by your trembling voice and tales of the past? That I’d hear a name and suddenly let the girl go?"306Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVmew7lfBvC
She laughed — a bitter, broken sound. “No. She’s mine. And if she truly has royal blood… then she’s more dangerous than I thought.”
The old woman didn’t blink. Her gaze stayed calm, steady — like the moon watching a storm.
"You asked who her mother was," she said softly.
Vishkaniya’s smirk faltered. “Say it, then. Say the lie you’ve been guarding.”
"This girl…" the woman whispered, her voice like falling snow,306Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0rNv0bXrIU
"…is the daughter of Amethyst."
Silence fell again.306Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqiwaVVokXE
And then, it shattered.
Vishkaniya flinched. Her face, once cruel and confident, paled like mist at sunrise.306Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV5QHjlju6h
“Amethyst… my sister’s name…” she murmured, almost to herself.306Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0DfrIthtM0
“No. No—she vanished. She never had a child.”
Kael’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Aunt Amethyst…? That means…”
Far away, in the glowing Realm of Light, Queen Ayela gasped as the crystal mirror pulsed in her hands.
"Amethyst…" she whispered.306Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6dQQ2agJLb
Her fingers trembled as she brought the glowing amulet to her lips and kissed it gently, like one does to a memory they’ve held in silence for too long.306Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdqYdEuB5oL
"You were so kind… too kind for this cruel world. I lost you because I chose the crown. But I will not lose your daughter too."
Tears streamed down her face — not of weakness, but of a storm long held inside.306Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJfV7E9oTMr
"I should have protected you, sister. I should have listened. But I promise… Elara will live. I swear it upon the stars."
Back in the valley, Elara sank to her knees.306Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuIvXWVBTFq
The name Amethyst echoed in her soul like a lullaby she had long forgotten.306Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN7q1QEkK3a
"She was… my mother?"
A memory stirred — a woman with silver hair brushing her cheek, humming to her in a dream long ago.306Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzmgJH3veWs
.
"Why didn’t anyone tell me?" she sobbed.306Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW4MapvO8Tb
"Why was I left to feel like… nothing?"
Kael stepped forward. His voice trembled.306Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKRKKBuaGCg
"You were never nothing, Elara. You were everything… we just didn’t see it soon enough."
and then Add to home screen.