[Lavinia's POV — Imperial Chambers—Later]
The warmth of Papa's chamber felt almost foreign after the void. I slumped against his broad shoulder, letting my small frame sink into the comfort I hadn't realized I craved. My hand rested on Marshi's head—he was asleep on my lap, his breaths shallow and even. Everyone else had left, leaving the two of us alone.
Just Papa and me.
I lifted my eyes, hesitant, voice barely a whisper. "Were you… scared, Papa?"
For a moment, there was silence. The kind that stretched and pulled at the edges of the room, heavy with unspoken words. His hand moved slowly to brush back a strand of hair from my face.
"Scared?" he said softly, voice low and roughened with the memory. "Any father would be. Seeing his child… locking herself away in a void… not knowing if she'd ever come back. Any father would be scared, Lavinia."
