#Chapter 248: Rebuilding

Ella POV I sat across from Elizabeth at a quiet restaurant, a half-empty glass of wine in front of me. The air between us was lighter than it had been in months, but there was still an unspoken tension—a lingering wound that was still healing. Elizabeth had taken the revelations about Alexander, David, and Archer in stride, but knowing the truth didn’t erase the sting of being left in the dark. We had more than one argument before we reached the point where we could sit across from each other and just talk. “I still can’t believe it,” Elizabeth murmured, swirling her drink absentmindedly. “I mean, I can believe it, but it’s just... so much. Ironfang. Archer. Even Diana. All of them were working together, and we didn’t see it.” “We did,” I corrected softly. “Just not soon enough.” Elizabeth sighed and leaned back in her chair. “People are scared. My father and I have spent months just trying to calm them down, trying to convince them that the kingdom is