Austin's words lingered in the air, heavy and impossible to ignore. He had to say it three times because apparently, twice wasn't enough to make her believe them.
Alina stared at him, looking for any doubt or hesitation but there was none.
"You understand what this means?" she whispered.
"I do."
"Austin…," her voice sharpened. "Be serious. The king will consider it as a betrayal. He could ruin you, destroy…"
"The king needs Ravenmoor far more than Ravenmoor needs him. Without us guarding the southern border, his kingdom will collapse. At most, he'll be angry."
"And Audrey?"
"I'll deal with her."
Silence swallowed the room as Alina kept looking at him, trying to comprehend the scale of what he had just said. Austin had decided to dismantle the entire political structure of his duchy for her.
On one side, he was willing to risk everything for her, while she was hiding his biggest secret. It wasn't fair to him.
"You've just… rewritten everything," she said softly.
