"If he'd gone back to his kingdom, he would have been married off within months. M⁹aybe to some elderly noble woman looking for a young, attractive husband to show off. Maybe to someone cruel who'd treat him like a pretty object. Maybe to someone kind but boring who he'd have to pretend to love for decades. He would have been used as a political tool—again—except without any choice in the matter, without any say in his own future."
"But that doesn't mean I can afford to fall 'in love' with him in the romantic, all-consuming way you're imagining. Because here's the thing you need to understand: for 'them'—for Larus, for everyone in this world—this is their entire lifetime. Their one and only existence. But for 'me'?"
Her voice softened, but became more firm.
