Apple stood up abruptly from the couch, her face pale and her eyes wide with overwhelming shock. "I need a minute hearing this... I just—I'm going to be in my room for a bit."
Darling immediately stood up to follow her, giving the rest of us a quiet, supportive nod before heading down the hall to make sure Apple was okay.
Raven stared at the floor, completely stunned as she rubbed her temples. "I had no idea... I just thought it was genetic. The purple magic, the hair, the dark energy... I thought I inherited all of it."
Snow White reached into her sleek velvet handbag and pulled out a delicate, folded parchment tied with a golden ribbon. "You inherited her magic because she saved your life, Raven... but you inherited something else from me."
Snow gently handed the parchment to Raven.
Raven’s hands trembled as she untied the ribbon and unfolded the paper. It was a formal, shimmering crest-embossed document—her real birth certificate. Down at the very bottom, in elegant golden calligraphy, were the signatures of the Royal Physicians, alongside Snow White’s name listed under Mother.
Heater stepped up beside us, leaning over to look at the document while keeping one hand gently cradling baby Stormi against his chest. His steady, warm heat radiated throughout the room, creating a soft, soothing vapor that kept Raven's crackling magic from flaring out of control. Stormi cooed softly, sending a tiny spray of silver frost-stars fluttering over the golden seal on the birth certificate.
"You really are her daughter..." I whispered softly, placing a steady hand on Raven's shoulder.
Raven looked up from the parchment, tears brimming in her violet eyes as she looked at Snow White, then toward the hallway where Apple's door had just clicked shut.
