Chapter 7: The Weight of a Crown

The words hung in the air like a guillotine blade. *Wedding.* Lila’s blood ran cold, her fingers tightening around Leo’s small hand. She could feel the heat of Alexander’s gaze boring into her, demanding, dissecting.

“Guards,” he said, his voice a low, dangerous command. “Leave us. Close the doors.”

The heavy oak doors slammed shut, sealing the three of them in a suffocating silence. Leo, sensing the tension, pressed his face into Lila’s leg. She knelt down, her hands trembling as she cupped his cheeks. “Sweetheart, can you go with Maria for a moment? Mama needs to talk to the King.”

Leo shook his head, his small arms wrapping around her neck. “No. I don’t want to leave you.”

Alexander’s jaw tightened. He watched the boy—his boy—with an intensity that made Lila’s skin prickle. Finally, he crouched down, bringing himself to Leo’s eye level. “What’s your name, little one?”

“Leo,” the boy whispered, peeking at him from behind Lila’s shoulder.

Alexander’s breath hitched. Leo. The name echoed in his chest like a cannon blast. He had a son. A son with her eyes, her stubborn chin, and a defiant little soul that was already wrapping itself around his heart. “Leo,” he repeated, tasting the name. “That’s a strong name.”

“Mama says I’m named after a lion. Because I’m brave.”

A ghost of a smile flickered across Alexander’s face before it vanished. “I’m sure you are.” He stood, his gaze snapping back to Lila. “Maria,” he called out, and the door cracked open. The elderly nurse appeared, her face pale. “Take the boy. See that he’s given something to eat and is shown the gardens.”

Maria hesitated, looking at Lila for permission. With a heavy heart, Lila nodded. Leo protested, clinging to her, but Maria gently pried him away, whispering soothing words. The door closed, and Lila was alone with the storm.

“Start talking, Lila,” Alexander said, his voice ice-cold. “And do not lie to me. I have spent six years searching for answers, and I will not be fobbed off with pretty excuses.”

Lila’s back hit the wall. Her legs felt like jelly. She had rehearsed this moment a thousand times in her head, but now that it was here, the words felt like shards of glass in her throat. “I… I didn’t know how to tell you.”

“Tell me what? That you were pregnant with my child and decided to vanish? That you let me believe I was going mad, thinking I had imagined the only woman who ever made me feel…” He stopped, his hands clenching into fists. “Why, Lila? Did you hate me that much?”

“No!” The word tore from her lips, raw and desperate. “I never hated you. I loved you. I was so in love with you that it terrified me.” Tears spilled down her cheeks. “But your mother—the Queen—she came to me the morning after we… she told me that you were promised to Princess Isabella. That our affair was a scandal that would ruin you.”

Alexander’s face went white. “My mother?”

“She said if I truly loved you, I would disappear. That you would never choose me over the crown. And I was young and scared. I believed her.” Lila wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “I went back to my village. I found out I was pregnant a month later. I tried to write to you, Alexander. I did. But every letter was intercepted. I never received a single reply.”

“Because I never received a single letter!” he roared, slamming his fist against the marble pillar. The sound echoed like a gunshot. “I searched for you. I tore this kingdom apart looking for you. And you were hiding in a dusty little village, carrying my son, while I…” He turned away, his shoulders heaving.

The silence stretched, broken only by Lila’s quiet sobs. When Alexander spoke again, his voice was hoarse. “Do you know what I went through? I was crowned king at twenty-three. My father died, my mother was poisoned with ambition, and I was drowning in a sea of courtiers and vipers. And the only thing that kept me sane was the memory of you. And then you were gone. Just… gone.”

Lila moved before she could stop herself. She reached out, her fingers brushing his sleeve. “Alexander, I’m so sorry. I thought I was protecting you.”

He spun around, catching her wrist. His grip was firm, but not painful. “Protecting me? You took my son from me. You took *six years* of his life. Of my life. Do you have any idea what I would have given to watch him take his first steps? To hear his first word?”

“I know. I know.” Lila’s voice broke. “I thought about it every single day. I looked at Leo and saw you. And I hated myself for keeping him from you. But I was so afraid that if you found out, you would take him away from me. That your mother would destroy us both.”

Alexander released her wrist, his hand moving to cup her face. His thumb traced the path of her tears. “I would never have taken him from you, Lila. Never. But I would have made you mine. I would have fought the world for you.”

She leaned into his touch, her eyes closing. “I know that now.”

The door creaked open, and a guard’s voice cut through the moment. “Your Majesty, the council is awaiting your presence for the evening session.”

Alexander didn’t move. His eyes stayed locked on Lila. “Tell them I will be delayed.”

“But, Your Majesty—”

“I said *delayed*.” The guard vanished. Alexander turned back to Lila, his expression unreadable. “Here is what will happen. You and Leo will stay in the palace. In the royal wing. Until this matter is resolved.”

“Alexander, I can’t—”

“You can, and you will.” His voice brooked no argument. “You have kept secrets from me for six years. Now, I will have the truth, and I will have my son. And I will not let either of you slip through my fingers again.”

Lila’s heart raced. Stay in the palace. Under his watchful eye. Surrounded by his mother’s spies and the viper’s nest of the court. It was a trap. But as she looked into Alexander’s eyes—eyes that held six years of pain and fury and a desperate, fragile hope—she knew she had no choice.

“What about the wedding?” she whispered.

Alexander’s lips curled into a smile that was equal parts dangerous and possessive. “The wedding, my dear Lila, is exactly what I intend to discuss with you. But first, I want to meet my son. Properly.”

He strode toward the door, then paused. “And Lila? If you try to run from me again, I will hunt you to the ends of the earth. And this time, I won’t be gentle.”

He disappeared through the door, leaving Lila alone in the cavernous room, her heart pounding against her ribs. She had confessed the truth. She had freed the secret. But she had just walked into the lion’s den—and the lion was hungry for answers she wasn’t sure she was ready to give.

Outside, she heard Leo’s delighted laughter, followed by Alexander’s deep, unfamiliar chuckle. And for the first time in six years, Lila felt a sliver of hope—and a shiver of fear.

The game had only just begun.