CHAPTER 23 Aug 13, 2025 Her voice, when it came again, was barely a whisper. "Oh my gods... it's true." Clarissa stood frozen in the doorway, staring at Alexander like she had seen death walk upright. Her pupils were blown wide with shock, but her lips curled slowly into something colder-calculated. Alexander hadn't moved. His breathing was ragged. He'd just begun to pull himself back from the edge when she'd entered, and now he stood rigid, trembling, the shadows beneath his skin still unsettled. The East Wing held its breath. Clarissa stepped fully into the room. Her eyes never left him. "They'll hang you for this," she said, almost softly. "Or worse." "No one will believe you," Alexander said, but his voice wasn't certain. She laughed, bitter and breathless. "They will if I make them. I saw you. I heard what you were trying to hide." Her gaze snapped to me. "She knew too, didn't she?" I didn't answer. Clarissa advanced, slow and sure. "This is treason, you know. Your guards, your kingdom-if I scream loud enough, they'll turn on you before dawn." Alexander's fists clenched. "But I'm not here to scream," Clarissa said, voice sweet now, too sweet. "I'm here to offer a deal." "No," Alexander said immediately. "Whatever it is, no." She smiled wider. "Oh, I think you'll listen." She looked between us. "If you make me Queen, this stays between us. No one hears a word. You get to keep your secret. Your throne. Your little pet project here." She gestured lazily to me. I felt the words like ice against my skin. "If not," she continued, "I go to the council. I tell them everything. I write it into letters. I make sure it ends up in every court across the continent." "You're bluffing," Alexander growled. Her eyes gleamed. "Am I?" The air in the room thickened with silence. Even the flickering candelabra seemed to dim. Alexander looked at me. "I won't let her threaten you." "She's not threatening me," I said softly. "She's threatening you. " "Same thing." I took a step toward him. "She'll do it, Alex. You know she will." "She's bluffing-" "She isn't." I looked at Clarissa. "This is her final play, and she knows it." "I'm giving you a chance to fix it," Clarissa said. "Choose me, and this goes away." He looked at her like he could burn her with just his eyes. But he was shaking again. I stepped in front of him. "Then do it." His head snapped toward me. "What?" "Do it," I said, swallowing hard. "Choose her." His face contorted like I'd slapped him. "No." "Alex-" "No. Don't ask me to do that." "You have to," I said. "You don't have a choice." He grabbed my hand, holding it like it might vanish. "I do have a choice. I choose you. " My throat felt like it was splintering. "If you choose me, she takes everything." "I don't care." "I do!" My voice broke. "I care what happens to you. To this kingdom. To the people who would tear you apart if they ever found out." His eyes shone. "Then stay. We'll face it together." I shook my head. "It doesn't work like that." Clarissa didn't say a word now. She just stood there, watching us fall apart. "You don't deserve this," Alexander whispered. "Any of it." "Neither do you," I said. "But we don't get to choose the weight we carry. Only how we carry it." Tears pricked the corners of my eyes. I didn't let them fall. I leaned in and kissed him-slow, soft, final. Then I pulled away, and turned to Clarissa. "He's yours." She blinked. I turned back to him, just once. "I hope you hate me for this," I said. "Because that'll mean you loved me." And then I walked out. My steps didn't echo. The East Wing swallowed them whole.