Liora's words were blunt and heavy. So heavy that Cassian felt his heart dropping into his stomach, and he lowered his head.
Julian felt a lump form in his throat, a mixture of grief for these children and a desperate, selfish urge to survive. He couldn't let them carry this weight.
He reached out, his hand trembling slightly as he placed it on Cassian's shoulder.
"The law of the land is absolute, Princess," Julian said, his voice a soft, grounding hum. "But laws are written on paper. Character... character is written on the soul. You both have shown more of it today than many men twice your age."
He used the moment of their shared, somber reflection to move. As Cassian looked down at his boots and Liora adjusted her grip on her skirt, Julian's free hand dipped toward the fountain.
