"To be quite frank with you, Your Highness... I had hoped you wouldn't mention it," Drizelous said softly, his voice carrying a quiet weight. The smile on his lips remained—but it was thinner now, strained, as if it hurt to hold.
"Oh, I'm... I'm sorry, I... I just wanted to apologize." Florian's voice trembled, his gaze dropping to the floor. "I know I can't... my apology can't bring her back, I..." His eyes fixated on his foot, unable to look Drizelous in the eye. "This was all my fault. I... tried my best, Drizelous, to save her. I really..."
The air shifted—thickened. A heavy silence settled around them. That familiar ache tightened around Florian's chest: guilt, sorrow, the sharp sting of regret.
"The fact that one of them... one of my butterflies was responsible..." His voice cracked as his eyes flickered toward the magical creatures that flitted gently around them.
The memory of Luluwing fluttering in the air only deepened the weight in his chest. 'I'm so... sor—'
