Astraea's POV
I was sitting on the edge of my bed, my fingers curled tightly around the sheets, and no matter how many times I blinked, the burning in my eyes just wouldn't go away.
My chest felt heavy, like I had heavy baggage that I couldn't lift even if I tried. The feeling reminded me too much of that day, the day everything in my life had changed completely, the day my mother died because of me.
I had thought I buried those memories. Locked them up and threw away the key, but now, they were clawing their way back into my mind and were more vivid than ever. And it was all because of a single word.
Cursed.
That name, that horrible and painful name they used to whisper behind my back, Astraea Vaelthar, the cursed princess. I'd spent several decades pretending it didn't matter, that I didn't care, and that it wasn't true that I was cursed, but today? Today it felt real again.
