Chapter Forty-Two
Clare's POV — A New Beginning
The road to France felt longer than I had imagined.
Snow covered the path ahead of us, and the cold wind brushed against our cloaks as we continued walking.
Behind me, hundreds of women moved together quietly.
Students.
Mothers.
Daughters.
Some looked nervous. Others looked hopeful.
But none of them had turned back.
Every step we took carried us farther away from Wilson… and closer to a place where we could finally study.
I tightened my cloak around my shoulders and kept walking.
A young girl beside me looked up nervously.
"Clare… will they really let us study in France?"
I smiled gently at her.
"Yes."
I hoped my voice sounded more confident than I felt.
Because leading this many people was a responsibility I had never imagined before.
But turning back was not an option anymore.
Not after everything we had done.
Soon the first buildings of the French town appeared in the distance.
A quiet wave of relief passed through the group.
"We made it…" someone whispered.
I exhaled slowly.
France.
The same place I had once arrived at as a simple student.
Now I had returned with an entire crowd behind me.
As we entered the town, people began staring.
Shops paused their work.
Travelers stopped walking.
Everyone looked confused at the sight of so many women arriving at once.
Then suddenly I heard a familiar voice.
"Clare?!"
I turned.
Noah was running toward me from the direction of the café.
Her expression was pure shock.
"Noah!"
We hugged quickly, both laughing in disbelief.
"You vanished during vacation!" she said. "What happened?"
I glanced behind me at the endless line of women filling the street.
"It's… a long story."
Emma soon joined us, staring at the crowd with wide eyes.
"Wait," she said slowly. "Did you bring half of Wilson with you?"
I rubbed the back of my neck, slightly embarrassed.
"Something like that."
At that moment Aunt Laura stepped outside the café, clearly curious about the commotion.
"What is all this noise about?"
When she saw the street, she stopped completely.
"Good heavens…"
Clausius followed her outside.
Unlike the others, he didn't look shocked.
He simply studied the scene carefully.
"That," he said calmly, "is a very unusual arrival."
Noah crossed her arms and looked directly at me.
"Alright, Clare. Explain."
I took a deep breath.
"The Queen banned women from studying law in Wilson."
Emma frowned immediately.
"So you left?"
I shook my head and gestured toward the women behind me.
"We left."
The street fell silent for a moment.
Then Noah suddenly laughed.
"That might be the boldest thing anyone has ever done."
Clausius, however, looked more serious.
"You realize the Queen will not ignore this."
I nodded.
"I know."
Because somewhere far behind us, in the kingdom of Wilson, the Queen had already learned what had happened.
And I had no doubt she would come to France soon.
But for now, as I looked at the women standing together in the snowy street, one thing felt certain.
For the first time, they had chosen their own path.
And that was something no royal order could erase.
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