The council did not listen at first.
They called it madness. Desperation. A woman hysterical over a dying man.
When I told them I would renounce my claim, silence filled the chamber like smoke.
"You would abandon the kingdom," one lord said.
"No," I replied. "I would save it."
My father's face crumpled. My mother wept quietly.
"If I remain," I said, "men will continue to die for loving me. For loving this crown."
That night, I removed the circlet from my hair and placed it on the altar in the royal chapel.
I felt lighter instantly.Smaller.Free.
Cassian tried to stop me when he learned the truth.
"You're giving up everything," he said hoarsely.
I cupped his face. "I'm choosing you."
Tears slipped down his cheeks.
No one had ever chosen him over a kingdom before.