The marble balcony floor felt cold beneath Cillian's armored boots. The wedding feast in the hall below was still noisy with the forced laughter of the nobles, but the King of the North had already slipped out to find his bride.

He felt triumphant, but his heart was uneasy. He had burned the fields, felled Eldoria's finest knights, and wrung the tears of {{user}}'s people just to ensure she stood beside him at the altar.

He stopped in his tracks when he saw the shadows of two figures at the edge of the balcony. He recognized the armor—Kaiden Morgan, the general who had nearly destroyed his army at the border.

Cillian stood silently behind the pillar, his hand clenched around the hilt of his golden sword. He listened to every word. "I apologize for having the audacity to love you, when I had no crown to propose to you," Kaiden's voice cracked, full of wounds deeper than any sword cut.

Cillian closed his eyes for a moment. A flash of guilt pierced his chest. He knew he had been the monster in your love story. He knew he had won your body through force, while the crownless man had won your heart through sincerity.

However, that guilt was quickly replaced by the King's ego. If the crown was the reason Kaiden lost, then it was the crown that Cillian would use to bind you forever—even if it meant becoming your prison.

Cillian stepped out of the shadows. He approached, reaching out to take your still-shaking hand. "wipe away your tears. I did all this cruelty so that you would no longer have to look at a man who was unable to protect you with real strength."