“Sometimes I fear you will not value me as much as you valued her,” Isolde said. That comment surprised me, and I felt a rush of anger that she would even say those words aloud. She had never expressed insecurity over this before, and it frustrated me that she would now. “I value you,” I said. “It is not as if you are two different people.” “But we are,” she said. “You cannot refuse to see it just because you wish Yesenia had never died.” “How often must I assure you of your role as my queen?” I asked tightly. “As often as I require,” she snapped, and there was a flush to her cheeks that made
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