CADEN’S POV

I watched Elara’s face transform from shock to hurt.

“Princess Elara,” Islode crooned beside me, her fingers digging into my arm like talons. “What a pleasant surprise.”

Elara’s eyes, green as Verdanan emeralds, flicked from my face to our entwined arms. The judgment in them was crushing. I’d meant to end things with Islode this morning, but Mother had intercepted me, insisting I escort Islode on one final walk to soften the blow. Now, seeing Elara’s expression, I knew how this looked.

“Excuse me,” Elara said, her voice arctic.

She made to brush past us, her green gown rustling like leaves in a storm. Without thinking, I disentangled myself from Islode’s grip and stepped after her.

“Elara, wait!”

The corridor suddenly felt too small, too public. A pair of servants paused in their duties, poorly disguising their interest in the royal drama unfolding before them.

“Caden?” Islode’s voice rose an octave. “What are you doing?”

I ignored her, my focus entirely on Elara’s retreating figure. “Please, just a moment of your time.”

Elara paused, her back still to me. “I don’t have a moment to spare, Prince Caden.”

Prince Caden. Not just Caden. Not husband. The formality was a wall between us, one I’d helped build brick by brick with every slight, every absence, every time I’d chosen court politics over her.

“Five minutes,” I said, trying to keep the desperation from my voice. “That’s all I ask.”

She turned slowly, and for a heartbeat, I saw vulnerability flash in her eyes before it was gone, replaced by cool disdain. “I’m all ears.”

Islode stepped forward, her painted lips compressed into a tight line. “Caden, we were in the middle of our walk.”

“Not now, Islode,” I said, not sparing her a glance.

Elara gestured to an empty antechamber off the main corridor. As I followed her inside, I heard Islode’s indignant huff behind us. The door closed with a soft click, and suddenly we were alone, truly alone, for what felt like the first time in months.

The room was small, lined with bookshelves and dominated by a single window that cast Elara in golden morning light. She looked regal, untouchable—everything a crown princess should be. How had I never seen it before?

“Your five minutes are ticking away,” she said, folding her arms across her chest.

“I don’t even know where to begin,” I admitted, running a hand through my hair.

“Perhaps with an explanation of why you were arm in arm with Lady Islode after kissing me last night?”

Her directness caught me off guard. “It’s not what it looked like. Mother insisted I give Islode a proper goodbye—”

“Goodbye?” Elara arched an eyebrow.

“I’m breaking off the engagement,” I said. “I should have done it months ago. I should never have agreed to it in the first place.”

Something flickered across her face, surprise, perhaps, or disbelief. “And this sudden change of heart has nothing to do with discovering my true identity?”

The accusation stung, not because it was cruel but because there was truth in it. My awakening had come too late, spurred by revelations that shouldn’t have mattered if I’d been the man I should have been.

“I won’t lie to you,” I said, taking a step closer. “Learning who you are forced me to see what I’ve done, what my family has done. But that’s not why I’m here now.”

“No?” Her tone was skeptical.

“No.” I took a deep breath. “I’m here because last night, when you were in my arms, I realized what I’ve been too blind to see. That you, Elara, not the princess or the heir, are everything I’ve been searching for without knowing it.”

Her expression softened almost imperceptibly. “Pretty words, Caden. You’ve always been good with those.”

“Not words,” I insisted, closing the distance between us until I could see the flecks of gold in her green eyes. “Truth. I was a coward and a fool. I let my mother dictate my choices. I let court politics overshadow what matters. I allowed you to be mistreated when I should have been your fiercest defender.”

I reached for her hand, half-expecting her to pull away. She didn’t, but neither did she respond to my touch.

“I’m asking for your forgiveness,” I said, my voice dropping to little more than a whisper. “Not because you’re Princess Elara of Verdana, but because you’re my wife, and I’ve wronged you in ways I’m only beginning to understand.”

For a moment—one beautiful, hope-filled moment—I thought I saw her walls crumbling. Her fingers twitched in mine, and her lips parted slightly as if she might speak words of absolution.

But then she withdrew her hand, taking a step back. “You speak with passion now, Caden. But where was this passion when your sister mocked me at dinner? Where was it when your mother relegated me to the farthest corner at every function? Where was it when courtiers whispered behind their hands as I passed?”

Each question was a knife, precise and deserved. I had no defense.

“Nowhere,” I admitted. “I was nowhere when you needed me. That’s why I’m asking for a chance—not forgiveness, not yet. Just a chance to be the husband I should have been from the beginning.”

She shook her head slowly. “It’s too late for that. What happened between us last night was a mistake.”

The words hit me like a physical blow. “You don’t mean that.”

“I do,” she said firmly. “I was… I wasn’t thinking clearly. I’d had too much wine at dinner.”

I frowned, certain she was lying. “We both know that’s a lie, Elara—”

“It was a mistake,” she repeated, more forcefully this time. “One I don’t intend to repeat. Now, if you’ll excuse me, my father is waiting.”

She moved toward the door, but I caught her arm gently. “Don’t do this. Don’t push me away when we’re finally being honest with each other.”

For an instant, her composure slipped, revealing the hurt beneath. “Honest? You want honesty, Caden? Here it is: you broke my heart. I came to Verloren ready to love you, to build a life with you. And you showed me exactly how little I meant.”

“I was wrong,” I said desperately. “I see that now.”

“Yes, you were wrong. And I’m glad you see it.” She pulled her arm free. “But that doesn’t mean I’m ready to forget.”

With that, she swept from the room, leaving me alone with the wreckage of my mistakes. I stood motionless, watching her disappear down the corridor, the green of her gown the last thing to vanish from my sight.

I don’t know how long I remained there, lost in thought, before Islode’s voice jerked me back to reality.

“May I know what happened between you two?” she demanded, standing in the doorway with her arms crossed.

I looked at her. Lady Islode was beautiful, politically connected, but completely wrong for me.

“No,” I said simply. “You may not. It’s none of your business.”

Her eyes widened in outrage as I brushed past her. “Excuse me?”

I kept walking, suddenly exhausted by the constant performances, the political maneuvering, the emptiness of it all.

“Caden!” she called after me, her voice rising with indignation. “Don’t you dare walk away from me!”

I continued down the corridor, my strides lengthening.

“This engagement is over!” she shouted, loud enough for everyone within earshot to hear.

I halted mid-step, a weight I hadn’t realized I was carrying suddenly lifting from my shoulders. Slowly, I turned back to face her, unable to suppress the smile spreading across my face.

“Thank you for making things easier for me,” I said, meaning every word. “Good riddance.”

Her mouth fell open, shock replacing anger as she realized I wasn’t going to beg her to reconsider.