Let Them Kneel (kaelani and Julian) novel Chapter 159

Chapter 159

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Lyressa studied her reflection in the mirror, its surface polished so smooth it reflected every detail with merciless clarity. Platinum hair spilled over her shoulders in soft waves, the delicate crown resting upon her head catching the pale glow of enchanted lanterns that lined the hall.

She adjusted a loose strand near her temple, tilting her chin slightly.

“Your Majesty?”

Lyressa glanced up.

Three figures stood waiting near the archway of the chamber–draped in pale robes threaded with faint threads of silver and gold. The Seers.

The same three women who had served the court for generations, their strange gift both a blessing and

a burden.

Lyressa straightened quickly and gave a small, apologetic smile as she turned toward them.

“I’m sorry,” she said lightly as she stepped away from the mirror. “I know it’s vain, but I wanted to make sure I didn’t have something stuck in my teeth before addressing the entire court.”

One of the seers smiled gently.

“You look lovely, Your Majesty.”

Lyressa approached them, smoothing the front of her gown as she walked. The confidence she carried before the court had not quite reached her chest this morning. As she stopped beside them, she placed a hand lightly over her heart.

“I’m nervous,” she admitted quietly. “I’ve addressed the court before, of course–but never over something so serious.”

Another seer stepped forward, her voice warm with quiet reassurance.

“You will do just fine. The court trusts you. They simply need the reassurance of their queen.”

Lyressa exhaled slowly.

“I wish you could simply have one of your visions and tell me what is happening to the young Seelie women,” she said with a weary half–smile. “It would make things considerably easier.”

The third seer shook her head gently.

“It does not work that way, My Queen.”

Lyressa looked at her expectantly.

“Our visions are not answers,” the seer continued. “They are fragments. Brief glimpses of moments that exist somewhere along the threads of fate. We see prophetic figures… signs… symbols… events that

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must one day unfold.”

Her gaze softened.

“But never the path between them.”

The first seer nodded in agreement.

“We are shown what will matter,” she said quietly, “but never enough to change the course of it.” “Prophecy is not meant to guide the future,” the second added. “Only to reveal that it is already moving.”

Lyressa fell silent for a moment, absorbing that.

Then she sighed softly.

“Well,” she murmured, glancing toward the great doors that led to the waiting court, “that’s not nearly as helpful as I’d hoped.”

Lyressa drew in a steady breath and turned toward the towering double doors.

They opened with a soft, ceremonial creak.

Sunlight spilled inward.

Warm. Golden. Alive.

Lyressa stepped through.

The Seelie courtyard stretched wide before her, a breathtaking expanse of white marble terraces and living gardens that seemed to glow beneath the morning sun. Where the Unseelie court thrived in shadow and quiet magic, the Seelie realm flourished in light.

Everything here breathed.

Vines heavy with silver blossoms curled along the carved columns. Crystal fountains spilled ribbons of clear water into shallow pools where luminous fish darted beneath lily pads the size of shields. Trees with pale bark and shimmering leaves arched over the courtyard, their branches catching the sunlight and scattering it into thousands of dancing reflections across the marble floor.

The sun touched everything.

And everything answered.

Flowers opened wider.

Water sparkled brighter.

Even the air itself felt lighter, warm currents stirring through the courtyard like a living thing.

The Seelie gathered below her in graceful rows–nobles, warriors, scholars, attendants–all turning their faces toward their queen as Lyressa descended the steps toward the central dais.

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She carried herself with quiet authority, every movement composed despite the nervousness she had confessed only moments earlier.

And somewhere deep within the dream-

Kaelani watched.

It was strange experiencing the memory from within Lyressa’s body. Every movement felt natural and unfamiliar all at once. Her hands were Lyressa’s hands. Her breath moved through Lyressa’s lungs. Yet Kaelani’s mind lingered quietly beneath the surface, observing the moment as it unfolded.

Soraya’s voice echoed faintly in her memory.

She had told this story before.

About the day the Seelie Queen addressed the court.

About the beginning of the illness.

About the moment everything started to unravel.

So far… everything matched.

Every word.

Every movement.

Everything unfolded exactly the way Soraya had described.

Lyressa reached the center of the courtyard and turned to face her court.

But something tugged at Kaelani’s awareness.

A quiet instinct.

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