Lover's lost signal

She couldn't deny that the thought had crossed her mind before; but hearing the words she had hoped to avoid from her husband's mouth brought the painful certainty.

It wasn't about cowardice or a weak state of mind; the strength required to confront her husband's death was beyond Adela's reach.

"Don't put yourself through this," he murmured with a melancholic tone, his breath against her ear, "It's unnecessary."

She disagreed. It was absolutely necessary.

The Crown Prince of Emoria had mentioned attempting to heal his father without success, and whatever he had experienced with Egon in the mountains of Kolhis seemed to have driven him to that desperate corner. She shook her head, gripping her husband's thigh and forearm tightly, finally finding it in herself to forgive Noctavian for deceiving her into believing that he had been abducted by Andreas.