The weight of Silence

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Chapter Three: The Weight of Silence

Days turned into months, yet the echo of that night never left the palace.

Every corner seemed to remember her voice — the gentle laughter of Eleanor — now replaced by the hollow quiet that followed her death.

Prince Louis withdrew from the world.

He rarely left his chambers. The maps and letters on his desk gathered dust, and even General James stopped knocking on his door.

Only the candlelight kept him company —

and the sound of the rain against the glass.

Sometimes, in the darkest hours of night, he would think he heard her singing.

He would rise, cross the room, open the door…

but it was only the wind.

His heart had become a battlefield — torn between grief and the cruel belief that the tiny life born that day had stolen his happiness.

He spoke to no one. Not even to his brother, King Karl.

And when the courtiers asked about the child, he simply said:

"She bears her mother’s name — that is enough."

But Alicia did not forget.

She raised Ella as her own, her love growing with each passing day.

The girl’s laughter echoed through the corridors, bright and fragile, unaware of the storm her birth had left behind.

One evening, Alicia visited Louis. She stood by his door for a long while before speaking.

— “It has been nearly a year,” she said softly.

— “You cannot keep living as if you died with her.”

Louis did not answer. He stared into the fire, its light flickering in his tired eyes.

— “She was my life,” he murmured.

— “And when she left, everything turned to ash.”

Alicia stepped closer, her voice firm but gentle.

— “Then look beyond the ashes. There’s a child who carries her light.”

Louis looked up, a faint shadow crossing his face.

— “Her light? No, Duchess. That child carries the curse of her death.”

Alicia’s eyes softened, yet her words came strong:

— “One day, you’ll see her not as the end of Eleanor… but as her beginning.”

She turned to leave, but as she reached the door, Louis spoke again — his voice breaking for the first time in months:

— “Tell me… does she smile?”

Alicia smiled faintly, though tears glistened in her eyes.

— “Yes, Louis. Just like her mother.”

When she left, Louis stood there for a long time, staring at the empty chair by the window where Eleanor once sat.

The rain began again, soft and endless.

And for the first time, his tears fell with it.

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I feel tired, I can't complete my thoughts, my mind hurts when I think .... By the way, my name is Maria and I am from Algeria. I have an Arabic version of my novel on Wattpad.I wrote this novel specifically to be pure and good for those who read it. As for the characters, I left it up to you to imagine them according to your taste. I am also thinking of leaving an open ending for the readers, and I might conclude it with a sad or happy ending.

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