CHAPTER 11 Aug 13, 2025 The archery field reeked of sweat and pride. I winced as the string snapped against my fingers, leaving behind another blister. My aim trembled. Clarissa, of course, stood three stations down in a crimson sash, giggling as she purposely missed the target. "Oops," she whispered sweetly, tossing her hair. "Guess I'll need more practice with my royal bow." The other girls laughed like it was a performance worth clapping for. I gritted my teeth and reached for another arrow, fingers still trembling from the last release. My breathing was shallow, tight. The crowd buzzed in the background-nobles murmuring, silk rustling-but I barely heard them anymore. Then I saw him. He wasn't supposed to be there. Half-hidden behind the line of palace guards, partially obscured by the fluttering crest banners-but I knew that shape. That stillness. That face. Riven. My entire body locked. He wore Solmar black, the Prince's guard uniform, pressed and gleaming like it belonged to him. The royal crest blazed over his chest like a mark he hadn't earned. He stood rigid, arms at his sides, expression unreadable to anyone else-but not to me. Not with those eyes. Dark and fixed on mine like he'd been holding his breath for weeks, waiting for me to look back. The bow slipped. The next arrow fell from my hands before I could notch it. My lungs seized. I blinked hard, once, twice, but he didn't vanish. He was really there. Riven. In the palace. In that uniform. Watching me . It was like the ground tilted beneath my feet. The sounds around me distorted, too fast and too slow at once. I couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. What the hell was he doing here? He hadn't stayed behind. He'd followed me. Followed me into this . Into the Choice. Into the walls of the palace I'd come to escape from everything-including him. My body moved before I knew what I was doing. He turned first, disappearing into the side corridor behind the stables. I hesitated-barely-and then followed, fury and confusion knotted tight in my throat. He was already waiting, pacing in the shadowed alley where the hay smell drowned out the perfume of the courts. "Marianne," he said the moment I appeared. His voice cracked-sharper than I remembered. Like he'd spoken it a thousand times in his head and this was the first time it landed. "I joined the guard," he said, stepping closer. "To get here. To get to you. I didn't know how else to reach you once you were inside." My stomach flipped. "You-what?" My voice sounded foreign. "You-joined the royal guard ?" "I came for you ," he said, fast. "I didn't know what else to do. I thought-if I could just see you-" "You thought sneaking into the palace as a guard would fix things?" "I thought losing you was worse," he said. "And I was right." I stared at him, torn between rage and heartbreak. "You shouldn't be here." "I had to be." He took a step closer. "I made a mistake. Clarissa-she was never real. It was a ploy. I let my family talk me into it. I thought I had time to fix it. And then you were gone." I scoffed. "Gone? You chose my sister over me." His face twisted. "I didn't know what to say. I froze. And by the time I realized what I should've done, it was too late. Marianne, please. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't breathe." "And now I could be executed for sneaking around with you behind the palace stables." My voice was low, trembling. "Do you understand that? This isn't House Alder, Riven. There are rules here. Real ones." "I know. I know." He scrubbed a hand down his face, eyes blazing. "But I had to see you. Just once. Just to say-I'm sorry. For everything." "You kissed my sister," I snapped. "In front of everyone. In front of me." "I know." His voice cracked. "And I hated myself for it the second it happened." "And you let them lock me in an attic like I was nothing." "I thought you'd never forgive me." "I haven't." I blinked, willing the tears not to fall. "And I don't know if I ever will." He looked like he'd been slapped. "Marianne, please. I don't expect you to trust me, but I need you to know I came for you . Not her. Not for some scheme or alliance. I came for you ." I stepped back, pressing my palm to the cold stone behind me. "You think that makes this easier? That I'm supposed to fall apart because you finally showed up in armor and said the words I used to dream about?" "I'm not asking for anything," he said, voice hoarse. "I just couldn't let you think I didn't care. I do. I always did. I was just too much of a coward to show it." My eyes burned. I hated how badly I'd once wished to hear those words. How they still chipped at the part of me that hadn't hardened completely. I shook my head, trying to ground myself in the person I'd become since the attic. Since the kiss in the garden. Since Alexander. "I don't need saving anymore," I said quietly. "Not from you. Not from anyone." He reached for my hand. His fingers brushed mine, soft and pleading. I pulled away before he could hold on. "You don't get to walk back into my life and pretend like we're unfinished business," I whispered. "You made your choice." He didn't fight it. Just stood there, arms at his sides, like the weight of my rejection was heavier than anything he wore. "I'll wait," he said, voice barely above a whisper. "Even if it takes the whole damn Choice. Even if you hate me. Just... don't shut me out completely." I didn't promise him anything.