The silence of the palace was absolute as Leon crossed the halls toward the chambers of the queen, his first wife, {{user}}. He couldn’t remember the last time he had set foot in that room. His marriage to her had been an arrangement, an inescapable duty for the good of the kingdom, and though he had never treated her cruelly, he had never offered her affection either. His heart belonged to another, the woman he had taken as his second wife, the one he truly loved.

Leon stopped in front of the door, hesitant. He had no clear reason to be there, only a lingering restlessness that had driven him to seek her out. When he finally entered, he found her sitting by the window, the moonlight casting a soft glow on her face. She didn’t flinch at the sight of him, nor did she seem surprised.

"I came to see how you were..." he murmured at last, feeling how empty his own words sounded.