The evening air was cool as I stepped out into the courtyard, the last of the sun slipping behind the trees, casting long shadows over the stone path. Ahead, Charles stood beside Riverdale, his hand resting protectively on her shoulder as he whispered to her, the quiet intimacy of their exchange stirring something heavy within me.
They hadn’t yet noticed my approach, and for a moment, I hesitated, the weight of what lay ahead pressing down on me. My duty, long-awaited yet reluctant, felt like an iron shackle, binding me to a role I hadn’t chosen. As Queen, I carried the kingdom’s future, the people’s hopes woven into every decision. Yet a quiet part of me—a part I rarely acknowledged—longed for something simpler. I thought of Leo, the guardian to whom I was truly bound, a fate that had al
