Chapter 17: You're, too, afraid to let her go

Are my fears merely selfish reluctance to let Sophia go? It's all I think about every night when I close my eyes.

— Ragnar Clementine

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"Do you, too, harbor the same thoughts, Adeline?"

Adeline's heart raced as Ragnar's penetrating gaze bore into her, his words cutting through the heavy silence like a blade.

"What do you mean, Your Majesty?"

She felt a surge of apprehension mingled with empathy, her emotions tangled in a web of internal struggle.

Her hand instinctively went to her burgeoning belly, a physical reminder of the life growing within her, and the impending due date that loomed ever closer.

The weight of Ragnar's question hung heavy in the air, and for a moment, Adeline found herself at a loss for words.

"Are you merely too afraid to voice them?" Ragnar's voice was quiet but insistent, his eyes searching hers for any hint of truth.