MasukI am Prince Adrian, heir to the throne of Valderra. The world thinks I am perfect. Rich. Powerful. Ready to marry a princess. But they don’t know my secret. I don’t want a princess. I want him. Ethan is loud, stubborn, and not afraid of me. He calls me spoiled. He makes me angry. He makes me feel alive. I should hate him. Instead, I crave him. But I am a prince. He is a commoner. Our love is forbidden. If my family finds out, I could lose my crown. If the world finds out, I could lose everything. Still, when he looks at me, I know the truth. I would give up my kingdom before I give up Ethan.
Lihat lebih banyakCHAPTER 41 “Ashes Between Us”I stop walking because my heart cannot keep pretending.Adrian stops too.We do not face each other at first. Silence presses between us. Heavy. Sharp.“This is where it ends,” I say.He exhales slowly. “This is not an ending.”“It has to be,” I reply. My voice stays calm. Too calm. “If you stay, they will find you.”“They will find you anyway,” he says.I turned to him then. I finally looked. His face is tight. Controlled. Pain hidden behind discipline.“I can survive being hunted,” I say. “You cannot survive being seen.”His jaw tightens. “You think I care?”“I know you do,” I say. “That is why you must leave.”He steps closer. “Do not decide this alone.”I shake my head. “I have been deciding alone since the moment they put a price on my life.”“That was my fault,” he says quietly.The words hit me harder than any blade.“No,” I say quickly. “Do not do that.”“I made enemies,” he continues. “I chose wars. I signed orders. Marcus is using my past becau
CHAPTER 40 “Exile”I did not scream when the sentence was spoken.I stood still.I breathed once.I listened.“Exile,” the voice said again, louder this time, as if the word needed to be forced into my skin. “Immediate. Permanent. Beyond the borders.”For a moment, the room felt unreal. Not silent. Not loud. Just wrong.I looked straight ahead. I refused to beg.Adrian’s breath broke beside me.“No,” he said. One word. Raw. “You promised a fair judgment.”A bitter laugh followed. “She lives. That is mercy.”Mercy.The word tasted false.I finally turned my head. I met Adrian’s eyes. He looked shattered. Not weak. Just broken in a way that scared me.“This was never justice,” he said. “This is punishment for defying you.”“You abdicated,” Marcus replied calmly. “You gave up your voice.”Adrian stepped forward. “I stepped aside to protect her. Not to hand you the throne.”Marcus smiled. Slow. Controlled. “And yet, here we are.”My hands clenched. I spoke before Adrian could lose himsel
CHAPTER 39 “The Broken Crown”I stood when her name was spoken.That was my mistake.“Sit,” someone hissed.I didn’t.Isabella’s voice carried before I could reach her. Calm. Clear. Sharp.“I do not confess,” she said.A ripple followed. Shock. Relief. Anger.The judge leaned forward. “You deny all charges?”“I deny lies,” Isabella replied. “And I deny fear.”My chest tightened.Marcus smiled.I hated him for that.“You are accused of influencing the crown,” the judge continued. “Of manipulating succession.”Isabella lifted her chin. “Influence is not control. Love is not treason.”Murmurs rose.“Careful,” an elder warned.“I am being careful,” she said. “With the truth.”I clenched my fists.A council member stood. “You met the prince in secret.”“Yes,” Isabella answered. “As a mother meets her son.”“That bond compromised judgment,” he snapped.“Whose?” she asked. “Mine? Or yours?”Gasps.The judge raised a hand. “Order.”Marcus stepped forward. “May I speak?”The judge nodded.Mar
CHAPTER 38 “False Mercy”“You want me to lie,” I said.He smiled. “We want you to be free.”Freedom.That word tasted bitter.I leaned back. “And if I don’t?”Another elder spoke. “Then the trial proceeds. Publicly.”I met his eyes. “So this is not mercy.”“It is an offer,” he replied.I nodded slowly. “An offer with a knife behind it.”No one argued.They waited.I thought of Adrian. His voice. His stubborn hope. His choice.I swallowed. “If I confess, what happens to him?”Silence again.That was enough to answer.“You will step down quietly,” the first elder said. “He will resume his duties without distraction.”I smiled. “You want me erased.”“We want peace,” he said.“You want control,” I corrected.His jaw tightened. “Careful.”“Or what?” I asked. “You’ll lock me back up?”Another elder leaned forward. “The public is restless. They want closure.”I tilted my head. “You mean they want a villain.”“Yes,” he said simply. “And you fit.”The truth landed hard.I stood. “I will not
CHAPTER 34 The Queen’s MoveI stood up before fear could stop me.The silence felt sharp. Heavy. Waiting. Every breath in that hall seemed to pause with mine. My heart was loud, but my voice did not shake when I spoke. I had already decided. If I stayed quiet, I would lose everything. If I spoke,
CHAPTER 28 “The Lie They Tell the World”They said I was dangerous.I laughed when I heard it. Not because it was funny. Not because it didn’t hurt. I laughed because the lie was too clean. Too easy.“Unstable,” the official said, voice calm, practiced. “Mentally compromised. Emotionally volatile.
CHAPTER 25 - “The First Betrayal”“He’ll either run,” Marcus added, “or crawl back. Either way, the prince breaks.”I swallowed.Seraphina looked at me.“You heard enough,” she whispered.I nodded once.My heart beat.“I can still leave,” I said quietly. “Pretend I didn’t hear this.”She shook her
CHAPTER 24 - “The Night Adrian Breaks”“You think this is easy for me?” I snapped. “You think I enjoy watching everything slip?”“I think you enjoy not choosing,” Ethan said.The words hit hard.“I don’t have a choice,” I said.“You do,” he said. “You just don’t like the cost.”My voice cracked. “Y












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