CHAPTER 10 - One day
The dining room of the Evermont Residence was far quieter than the grand dining hall of the palace.
A long wooden table was decorated with tall candles that cast a warm glow across the room. The stone walls were adorned with portraits of the Evermont family—paintings that had existed long before the kingdom of Valtherion was even founded.
There were no rows of servants standing along the walls like in the palace.
Only two attendants came occasionally to replace the dishes, then quietly disappeared again.
Keira sat on one side of the table.
Cassian sat at the head as the host. Daniel sat beside Keira.
Kael stood near the table, still holding the posture of a knight accustomed to standing guard.
Cassian looked at him for a moment before speaking in a more relaxed tone.
"Kael, sit. This is a home, not a council chamber."
Kael let out a small breath, as if finally allowing himself to release some of his stiffness.
"An order from the Duke, or a request from a friend?" he asked lightly.
"A request from a friend," Cassian replied.
Only then did Kael pull out a chair and sit down.
For several minutes, the only sound in the room was the quiet clinking of cutlery.
No one quite knew where to begin.
Finally, Keira spoke first.
"How long has it been since Aelirra died?"
Silence fell.
Cassian did not answer immediately.
He looked at Keira for several seconds, as if making sure she was truly ready to hear the answer.
"One day."
Keira frowned slightly.
"One day?"
Daniel, who was holding his glass, nearly froze.
"Seriously?"
Cassian nodded slowly.
"In this world, Aelirra's death happened only one day ago."
Keira fell silent.
"That's impossible," Daniel muttered. "Then how could it be?"
"The flow of time is different," Cassian interrupted calmly.
He looked at Keira.
"Nevil explained it."
The name made the air shift slightly.
"According to him, a soul does not always follow the same flow of time when it moves between worlds."
Keira frowned.
"So…?"
"When Aelirra died here," Cassian continued,
"her soul had already lived twenty-seven years as Keira in your world."
Daniel let out a long breath.
"That's insane."
Cassian continued,
"Nevil also said something else."
His gaze hardened slightly.
"Aelirra's body cannot be brought back to life."
Silence fell instantly.
"No matter how powerful the magic used."
Keira did not move.
"Because her soul has already reincarnated," Cassian said quietly.
"And that cannot be reversed."
Daniel stared at the table.
"So… there's no way to bring her back."
"There isn't," Cassian answered.
A few seconds passed before Keira finally asked,
"Then what about the kingdom?"
Cassian took a slow breath.
"Aelirra's death has been hidden."
Daniel turned his head.
"What?"
"No one knows," Cassian continued.
"Officially, the Queen is still alive."
He looked directly at Keira.
"If news of her death spreads now, the kingdom will fall into chaos."
Daniel muttered quietly,
"So technically…"
He looked at Keira.
"The queen who died yesterday… is sitting right in front of us."
Keira stared at the candle flame in the middle of the table.
And for the first time that night, she understood one thing.
In this world, someone had died yesterday.
And that person was her.