Lahat ng Kabanata ng His Runaway Queen: Kabanata 51 - Kabanata 60

*Aria's POV*I stood in Adrian’s room long after he had fallen asleep, my hand resting lightly on his back, counting the rise and fall of it like it was something fragile enough to disappear if I stopped watching.He made a soft sound in his sleep and curled closer to his stuffed bear.My throat tightened.Children weren’t supposed to sleep through tension. They weren’t supposed to adapt to guarded hallways and lowered voices and men with guns pretending to be furniture.But Adrian had.Because this was the new world he lives in.Because of us.Because of me.He wasn’t my sweet happy boy anymore. He wasn’t the little child who played in the snow.A soft knock came at the door.I didn’t turn.“Come in.”The door opened quietly.Lucian stepped inside.He always moved like that – silent, controlled, deliberate. Even when the world burned around him, he entered rooms like he had already calculated every outcome.He paused near the doorway, watching us.I felt his gaze before I met it.“He

Aria’s POVThe tower didn’t fall this time.Adrian handed me the last block with exaggerated seriousness, his tiny brows furrowed in concentration.“Higher, Mommy.”“Higher?” I teased softly. “Are we building a castle now?”“Yes,” he nodded. “A big one. With goats.”Despite everything, I smiled. “Of course. Every proper castle has goats.”He giggled, satisfied with that answer.I placed the final block carefully on top. The structure wobbled – then steadied.Adrian clapped.And I realized that was what I was doing too.Building something that looked fragile.Hoping it wouldn’t collapse under the slightest pressure.---------------------------------------------------By evening, the estate had shifted fully into its new shape.Lila’s presence spread like perfume – subtle, refined, impossible to ignore.Staff addressed her with careful respect. Not quite “madam.” Not yet. But close.She toured the gardens. Reviewed the security adjustments. Spoke with Lucian’s advisors in the west study

*Lucian's POV*Grief is useless.That was the first thing I learned.It doesn’t sharpen you. It doesn’t guide you. It doesn’t resurrect the dead.It only weakens the living.So I buried it.The funeral was closed-casket.There was nothing left of her to show the world. The officials called it mercy.I called it convenient.Rain fell in a thin, relentless sheet the morning we lowered her into the ground. The sky was the same dull gray as the day the plane exploded. As if the world had decided to stay suspended in that moment.They stood in careful rows –allies, enemies pretending to mourn, politicians rehearsing condolences in their heads. Cameras waited at the perimeter like vultures.No one dared approach me.They already knew.Something had shifted.I didn’t look at the coffin for long.If I allowed myself to imagine her inside it- silent, still – I might have torn the earth open with my bare hands.Instead, I memorized faces.Who looked relieved.Who looked afraid.Who avoided my e

*Aria's POV*(Back to the present)I stayed on the terrace long after Lucian walked back inside.The fountain kept trickling like nothing had changed. Like the house hadn’t quietly redrawn its lines around a new center of gravity.Lila’s laughter drifted faintly through the open doors. Soft. Controlled. Perfectly pitched to carry just enough.She was learning the acoustics of the estate already.And I was learning her.------------------------------------------------Adrian was asleep by the time I returned to my wing.He had one arm flung over his head, curls tangled against the pillow, mouth slightly open. The nightlight cast a soft amber halo around him.For a moment, I just stood there.This is why you’re here.Not Lucian.Not pride.Not old wounds.Him.I brushed my fingers lightly over his hair, and something inside my chest tightened painfully.Lila’s voice echoed in my head.In my world, children are leverage long before they are loved.No.Not mine.Not him.I sat on the edge

*Aria’s POV*The next day, I woke up early. I went instantly towards Adrian’s room, and saw him wide awake.“Hey mommy.” He said cheerfully.“Hi baby.” I went and kissed his cheek. “Come let’s get you breakfast and then we will go to the garden to have some fresh air.” He jumped out of bed and ran around the bed.I laughed and stopped him, helping him to change his clothes and wash his face.After breakfast, which was very peaceful with the absence of Lucian and Lila, we went to the south garden.“Mommy look.” Adrian exclaimed looking at a butterfly.As usual there was plenty of men scattered all around the mansion.I laughed, but was cut off by the opening of the gates. Black cars rolled through it heading towards the main entrance.Three of them.Foreign plates.Lucian’s security stiffened instantly. Subtle shifts. Hands near jackets. Eyes scanning.Adrian looked up from the gravel path where he was attempting to line up pebbles in military precision.“Visitors?” He asked with a sma