Leas Crowning - Part 9 🧕🌸🌿💚

... But elsewhere came different tones. At a café table near the window, she overheard a murmur: “Strange — why veil only halfway? Why not cover the face as well, like the others?” In the park, a woman in niqab gave her a puzzled look. “If you are crowned,” she said aloud, “why not properly? The mask, the niqab — that’s how it should be.” Lea thanked her politely and walked on, but the words lingered, weighing on her.

By the afternoon, she entered her seminar room at the university. Many of her fellow students were already crowned, their faces veiled in mask or niqab. Several greeted her warmly, calling her by her new title. “Welcome, Crowned Queen.” Yet she noticed their eyes lingered on her uncovered face — kind, but questioning. She was accepted, yes, but not quite fully within the circle. ...