Leonel collapsed back into the chair, his breath coming in heavy, ragged waves. He blinked rapidly, the gray film over his eyes completely dissolving. He looked down at his own hands, trembling as he realized he could feel the leather beneath his fingertips again.
Then, his eyes drifted downward. He saw the woman kneeling at his feet.
"Adelaide?" Leonel's voice was no longer a hollow rasp. It was deep, cracked with emotion, but entirely human.
"Adelaide... is it... is it another dream? Has she changed the vision again?"
"No, Leon," Adelaide sobbed, throwing her arms around his neck. "It is real. The curse is gone. We are free."
The Duke held her tightly, his frame shaking as 15 years of locked-away grief and horror finally broke through his composure.
He wept into her shoulder, his hands clutching her robes as if she might disappear if he let go.
