Page 99 of A Kingdom's Heart
Lorenzo drew in a breath and looked between us. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll stop loving you, Raven. It just means I have my priorities.”
Raven let out a broken laugh through her tears. “And that’s exactly why you broke my heart,” she said, her words shaking. “That’s why I left Valebran. Because of you.”
Lorenzo’s jaw tightened. “What do you want me to do?” he said sharply. “You’re a servant, Raven. My father wants me to marry someone of noble birth. Someone who can help secure the future of this kingdom, not a peasant.”
Raven shook her head slowly, tears still falling. “And that’s the only reason you want her,” she said bitterly. “For your kingdom. For your crown.”
The truth cut through the air. And for the first time, it made sense to me. The way Lorenzo looked at me. The way he spoke about marriage. It wasn’t just admiration or affection. It was duty. The same duty that had once torn him from her.
I looked at raven, at the pain in her face, and something inside
me ached for her. They must have loved each other once, truly and deeply, until he chose his title over her.
Lorenzo exhaled, his tone softening. “I love you, Raven,” he said quietly. “But I will always put my kingdom and my people first.”
Raven’s head snapped up, her eyes blazing through the tears. “Screw you,” she said, her voice breaking but fierce. “I wish I never met you.”
She wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand and turned sharply, walking down the hall. Her footsteps quickened with each sound.
“Raven!” I called, already stepping forward, but Lorenzo’s hand caught my arm.
“Don’t,” he said firmly.
I tried to pull free. “No, let me go after her. She’s my friend, she needs someone right now.”
His grip didn’t loosen. “And you’re going to bemywife soon,” he said, his voice sharp. “We’ll be married in a few days.”
I twisted in his hold, anger rising in my chest. “That doesn’t mean she doesn’t need me.”
He held my gaze, his own expression unreadable. “I may look like a monster,” he said slowly, “but I’m doing the right thing.”
“The right thing?” I said, my voice trembling. “If you love her, why don’t you want to be with her?”
His eyes hardened. “Because I love my people too,” he said quietly. “I can’t choose one person over many. I have a duty to my kingdom, and that must come first.”
He finally let go of my arm, his fingers sliding away. I looked at him, my chest heavy, unable to form a response.
“Go back to bed, Iris,” he said, his tone final.
For a long moment, I stood there, my breath shallow, my thoughts scattered. Then I turned and began walking back down the corridor.
I could hardly believe what I had just seen and heard. Lorenzo, the man I was meant to marry, was the same one who had broken Raven’s heart. The same man who made her cry in the dark and tremble at the sound of his name.
And worse, he had admitted it himself. He was marrying me for the crown. For the title. For the power that came with my name.
Something inside my chest tightened painfully. I knew our
marriage was meant to form an alliance, to strengthen two kingdoms. I had known it since the moment my father first spoke of Valebran. But hearing it, truly hearing it from Lorenzo’s mouth, made my heart beat faster and heavier.
I had never wanted to marry him, not from the beginning, and now the thought of it filled me with dread. I had always dreamed of something more. I grew up reading stories about love that was real and alive, the kind that burned bright even when the worldstood against it.The Song of the Willow Bridehad always been my favorite. Elara and Mike had chosen each other against everything, bound by love, not duty.
That was what I wanted. True love. Deep love. The kind that made your heart ache in the best way. But that was not something my father would ever allow. To him, love meant nothing if it did not serve the throne.
The halls were silent as I walked back to my chamber, my thoughts heavy and tangled. When I reached the door, I opened it quietly and stepped inside. William was still there, asleep on the chair, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
I stood for a moment, watching the slow rise and fall of his chest. Then I crossed the room softly, careful not to wake him, and slipped beneath the covers.
Sleep did not come easily. My mind refused to rest. All I could think about was the love I wanted and the life I was being forced
