Chapter 176

Princess Elena’s POV I woke to the sound of my door opening. Not the soft, courteous knock from maids I had grown used to but the sharp creak of hinges moving without permission. My heart slammed violently against my ribs. The nightmare clung to me, thick and suffocating. For a split second, I was certain the Queen had come for me herself. I pushed myself upright, breath shallow. The guards reacted instantly, steel scraping as they stepped aside. That was when I saw her. She stood just beyond them, wrapped in a pale coat that hung too loosely on her frame. Her hair was pulled back simply, no jewels, no finery. She looked thinner. Fragile. Real. But my mind rejected the image. “No,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “I’m not awake.” She didn’t rush me. Didn’t cry out my name. She just took one step forward, her eyes holding mine with the same familiar steadiness I had carried with me through every dark hour. “Elena,” she said softly. That voice. I inhaled sharply, my chest aching as if so