ALEXANDER'S POV
The journey back to the capital felt like it took forever, even though I had been looking forward to it.
Every time we passed through a town, people would gather in the streets to cheer us on.
They clapped, waved, shouted our names, and sang songs of victory. Their faces were full of happiness—not just for the win on the battlefield, but for everything that had been earned through pain, loss, and effort.
But behind all the cheers and smiles, I could sense another reason for their joy.
It wasn’t just the victory they were celebrating.
Word of Maya’s betrayal had spread fast, even faster than I expected.
I had hoped the rumors would die out before reaching too far, but instead, they had grown stronger in every town we passed.
People talked about how
