Liam sat alone in the quiet of their shared chambers, the grand wedding celebrations now a distant hum in the corridors of the palace. He stood at the edge of the bed, his hand resting on the wooden post, staring down at the floor as if trying to gather the fragments of his scattered thoughts. The candlelight flickered, casting long shadows across the room, and his mind replayed the events of the day—the vows exchanged, the rings placed, the smiles, the politeness. But it felt like all of it was in a haze.

He exhaled slowly, barely a whisper, the words slipping from his lips before he even realized they were there. “She deserves better than this. Better than me.”

Liam’s voice was a quiet murmur, lost in the solitude of the chamber. His fingers tightened on the edge of the post, his knuckles pale in the dim light. He hadn’t asked for this marriage. He hadn’t chosen it. It wasn’t her fault, not in the least. She was everything a queen should be—gracious, composed, kind. Yet here he was, a prince forced to marry a woman he didn’t know, a woman who deserved someone who could offer her more than just duty and obligation.

He shifted, running a hand through his hair, his heart heavy with doubt. “She’s a queen, she should have someone who truly sees her. Who—” He paused, the weight of his own thoughts halting him. He knew he couldn’t give her that. Not yet, anyway. He wasn’t ready to be the man she deserved. He wasn’t ready to be the husband she needed.

His eyes flicked to the other side of the room, where her things were neatly arranged, a quiet reminder of the woman who had entered his life—someone so poised, so capable. He knew he couldn’t offer her the love she deserved. Not the way he felt, not the way his heart twisted with confusion and hesitation. She deserved someone who could freely love her, someone who could give her the world, not someone who was bound by the chains of duty.

With a heavy sigh, Liam muttered to himself again, barely audible. “I’ll never be enough.”