Chapter 5

The grand party finally came to an end, and the guests began filing out of the ballroom, their laughter and chatter fading into the crisp night air. James, seated on his ornate throne, barely stifled a yawn as he endured yet another tedious conversation with the high lords. His mind wandered, his focus slipping as the weight of the crown pressed heavy on his shoulders.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of reddish-brown hair in the dispersing crowd. His heart skipped a beat. For a moment, he thought it was her.

Aliana

Her name echoed in his mind, a name he hadn’t spoken aloud in years but carried with him every day. He blinked, shaking himself from his thoughts. It couldn’t be her—it never was. Still, his chest tightened, his gaze lingering on the spot where the figure had vanished.

James leaned back in his seat, rubbing his temples. He never stopped thinking about her, even after she disappeared all those years ago. She had been his light, his anchor in a world of endless obligations and power games. He had loved her deeply, recklessly, and for a brief, fleeting moment, he had believed they could have a future together.

But the weight of his title had crushed that dream.

He still remembered the day he discovered she was with child. The joy he had felt had been immediately eclipsed by fear. Children born out of wedlock were a scandal in the royal court, a weakness to be exploited by enemies. He had been a coward—he could admit that now. He thought leaving her was the only way to protect her and the child. If no one knew about the child, they would be safe from the cruel world of politics and courtly intrigue.

But was it truly for her, or was it for me? he wondered bitterly, the guilt gnawing at him.

His gaze drifted to the woman seated across the room—Leyora. His fiancée. His queen-in-name-only. They weren’t married yet, but she had already taken up the role, much to the court’s delight. Leyora, with her sharp wit and calculating charm, was everything the kingdom expected in a queen. She was also Aliana’s younger sister.

That fact alone made James feel like the worst kind of traitor.

He had agreed to the arrangement out of duty. Leyora’s family was noble and influential, and their union had brought stability to the throne during a turbulent time. But every time he looked at her, he saw the shadow of the woman he had truly loved, the woman he had betrayed.

His life was a mess, and he deserved every bit of it.

James stood, waving off the high lords as they continued their endless droning about policies and alliances. He needed air. As he stepped onto the balcony overlooking the darkened castle grounds, he found himself looking up at the stars, wondering if Aliana was out there somewhere.

Did she hate him? he wondered. Did ever think about him, about what they could have been?

And most hauntingly, he wondered about the child. Was it a boy or a girl? What did they look like? Did they have his blue eyes or Aliana’s hazel ones? A lump formed in his throat as he closed his eyes.

He had done what he thought was right. But standing there now, staring into the vast emptiness of the night, he couldn’t help but feel that he had made the worst mistake of his life.

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