Chapter 219 CHAPTER 219
Ethan had not slept properly in days.
His office bore the evidence of it - documents scattered across the desk, reports left open and unfinished, names written down and crossed out, then written again as though repetition alone might reveal something he had missed. The curtains had been left half-drawn, letting in just enough light to keep the room from sinking into darkness, but not enough to soften the tension that clung to it.
He stood by the window, arms folded, his gaze distant.
Every lead had ended the same way.
Nothing.
No scent. No trace. No mistake.
And that was what unsettled him the most.
Whoever had tried to take his sister had not just been bold…
They had been careful.
Behind him, the door opened quietly.
Lora stepped in, her presence calm, measured, but not without purpose. She closed the door behind her and watched him for a moment before speaking.
“I know you have a lot on your mind,” she said gently, “but there are still matters that need your attention.”
Ethan did not turn immediately.
“What could possibly be more important than finding the person who tried to abduct the princess?” he asked, his voice low, edged with restrained frustration.
Lora did not flinch.
“That is important,” she said. “But that is why you have a commander.”
Ethan turned now, his brows tightening slightly.
“I cannot sit back while someone walks freely after attempting something like that,” he said. “Not when it’s Lisa.”
“And no one is asking you to,” Lora replied calmly. “But you are trying to carry everything on your own.”
She stepped further into the room, her gaze moving briefly over the scattered reports before returning to him.
“You have been questioning everyone yourself,” she continued. “The guards. The staff. Even the gardeners. You have not rested. You have not stepped away. And it is starting to show.”
Ethan said nothing.
“You are the king,” she added softly. “And you have a commander whose duty is to handle the security of this kingdom.”
Her voice softened further, though her words remained steady.
“I trust Liam,” she said. “Not just because he holds that title, but because he is my son… and Lisa’s partner. He will not fail her. He will not fail this palace.”
There was no doubt in her voice.
“He cares for this place,” she continued. “For the people in it. As his family. And I know, without question, that no one is working harder than he is to find whoever is behind this.”
Ethan’s jaw tightened slightly as he listened.
“And while you chase what he is already chasing,” Lora went on, “there are other responsibilities that only you can fulfill.”
That made him pause.
“What have I neglected?” he asked quietly.
Lora held his gaze.
“The Silverpine elders,” she said. “They have been in prison for weeks without being heard. Without judgment.”
The weight of that settled immediately.
“It is not right,” she added. “Even for a king.”
Ethan exhaled slowly, the tension in his shoulders shifting into something heavier.
He had known.
But he had chosen not to face it.
“I…” he began, then stopped, running a hand through his hair. “You’re right.”
The words came quieter now.
“I’ve been… distracted,” he admitted. “Everything has been happening at once, and I—” he paused, searching for the right words, “I haven’t been able to quiet my mind long enough to see past it.”
Lora’s expression softened.
For a moment, she was no longer speaking as a court figure.
She stepped closer.
And then, gently, she reached for him.
She pulled him into a brief embrace, one hand resting against his back the way she had when he was younger, when the world had first begun to place its weight on his shoulders.
“I understand,” she said softly. “More than you think.”
Ethan closed his eyes briefly, allowing himself that moment.
“It doesn’t feel like it’s going to stop,” he admitted quietly. “Every time I think I’ve handled one thing… something else rises.”
Lora pulled back slightly, just enough to look at him.
“Then you step back,” she said. “Even if just for a moment. You breathe. And then you face it again.”
Her tone softened even more.
“I hear you have someone who helps you do that.”
Ethan frowned slightly. “What do you mean?”
Lora smiled faintly.
“Isabel,” she said.
Ethan blinked, caught off guard.
“Where did you hear that?” he asked.
“Palace whispers,” she replied lightly. “It seems everyone has noticed that she is the only one who can reach you when you begin to drift too far into your thoughts.”
Ethan looked away briefly, a faint shift in his expression.
Lora tilted her head slightly.
“Why don’t you take a day,” she suggested. “Spend it away from all of this. With her. Clear your mind.”
Ethan let out a quiet breath.
The idea lingered.
Tempting.
But unfinished.
“I will,” he said after a moment. “But not like this.”
He looked back at her, his expression steadier now.
“I don’t want anything hanging over me while I try to step away,” he continued. “I need to put things back in order first.”
Lora watched him carefully.
“What are you planning?”
“I’ll summon the council tomorrow,” Ethan said. “And the Silverpine elders will be brought forward. They’ve waited long enough.”
There was no hesitation in his voice now.
No distraction.
Just decision.
“We will hear them,” he added. “And pass judgment.”
Lora nodded slowly, something like approval settling into her expression.
“That is the king I raised,” she said quietly.
Ethan held her gaze for a moment.
For the first time in days…
His mind felt… clearer.
Not free of burden.
But steady enough to carry it.