Aldric's expression darkened. "You mean the man you envisioned. The one who followed every command, never questioned, never loved on his own terms?"
"She's changed him," Seraphina bit back, her voice shaking now—not with uncertainty, but with suppressed desperation. "Can't you see that? That cursed girl has him wrapped around her finger. If we let her stay, she'll ruin everything we built. The court, the throne, the future—"
"The future is his, Seraphina," Aldric interrupted sharply. "Not yours. Not mine. We do not get to choose who he loves."
Seraphina's eyes glistened with fury—and something else. Fear.
"I protected him," she whispered. "All these years, I kept him from falling apart after Lilith. I held this family together while he crumbled. And now, when he's finally standing, you want me to step aside for her?"
"She helped him stand again, love again," Aldric replied evenly. "Not you. Not me. Her."
