A King Who Chooses His Own Chains
Leon added, "And unlike nobles, my wives won't betray me."
Quietly came the words, nearly offhand in their delivery.
To Ronan, though, their burden felt like cold metal chains dragging behind.
It wasn't the shock that mattered.
It wasn't their intensity that did it.
Yet their honesty stood out beyond doubt.
For a moment, Ronan stayed quiet. Then silence stretched before any words came.
A glance was all it took toward Leon.
Frozen, her gaze held his. This was no conqueror crowned in a week's time.
Nothing like the beast folk mutter of near fires at dusk.
He was nothing like the boy king who broke old families in a single stroke.
His eyes met Leon's, seeing him grown. Not a boy anymore, but someone shaped by time. A presence he could not ignore.
A man once standing empty-handed. He began without a thing, yet moved forward anyway.
