Everythings is Fin 25

ELARA’S POV

I couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment when the tears stopped and healing began, but as I sat in Caden’s arms, I felt something shift inside me, like tectonic plates realigning after years of pressure.

“Do you think we missed anything important downstairs?” Caden asked, his arms still wrapped around me, our tears barely dry.

I laughed softly against his shoulder. “A dozen political maneuvers, at least three scandals, and probably two marriage proposals accepted purely for strategic advantage.”

“Worth it,” he whispered, brushing a strand of hair from my face with a gentleness that made my heart ache.

The banquet continued without us, the distant strains of music filtering through the closed door of my chambers. Here, in this quiet sanctuary, time seemed suspended—the politics, the schemes, the careful posturing all faded away until there was just us. Two people who had once known each other better than anyone, finding their way back to that understanding.

“I still can’t believe you broke your engagement,” I said, shifting slightly to look at him. “Your mother must be livid.”

“Let her be,” Caden replied with a shrug that seemed far too casual for the political earthquake he’d caused. “I spent years trying to please him, trying to be the perfect heir. Where did it get me? Engaged to someone I didn’t love and estranged from the person I did.”

His candor surprised me. The Caden I remembered had always been careful with his words, measuring each syllable against potential political repercussions.

“Caden,” I began hesitantly, needing to address what had haunted me for years. “All those years when you watched me struggle, when your father’s allies undermined me at every turn—”

“I was a coward,” he interrupted, his eyes pained as they met mine. “I convinced myself I was protecting you by keeping my distance, by playing the game my mother set before us. I told myself that challenging him openly would only make things worse for you.”

“And now?” I asked, searching his face.

“Now I see that silence is its own form of betrayal.” His voice grew stronger with each word. “I won’t be silent again, Elara. Not when it comes to you, not when it comes to what’s right for Verdana.”

Something shifted in my chest then—a wall crumbling perhaps, or a door unlocking. “I think I’m ready to forgive you. Truly forgive you.”

His eyes widened, hope and disbelief warring across his features. “Truly?”

“Truly,” I confirmed, surprised by how light the word felt on my tongue. “Not because I’ve forgotten, but because I understand better now. We were both pawns in a larger game.”

“I don’t deserve your forgiveness,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “But I’ll spend every day trying to be worthy of it.”

“That’s exactly why you deserve it,” I replied. “You see the wrong now. You’re willing to make amends.”

He took my hands in his, his thumb tracing circles on my skin. “I love you, Elara. I’ve never stopped loving you, even when I didn’t deserve to.”

I froze, the words hitting me like summer lightning—unexpected, powerful, illuminating everything around them. In all our recent interactions, through all the tensions and reconciliations, neither of us had spoken those words aloud.

He must have felt my hesitation because he pulled me closer without demanding a response, just holding me against his chest where I could feel the steady beat of his heart. I returned his embrace, allowing myself the comfort of his warmth.

“My feelings for you have always been complicated,” I admitted after a long moment. “Even before everything fell apart, we came together through arrangement, not choice.”

“I know,” he said softly.

“But we’re choosing now,” he said firmly. “I’m choosing you—not because of politics or alliance or advantage, but because you’re the only person I want by my side.”

I pulled back slightly to study his face, searching for any hint of the calculated diplomat I’d grown to distrust. Instead, I found only earnestness, vulnerability, and a determination that took my breath away.

“You stood against your family for me,” I said wonderingly. “You risked everything—your inheritance, your position, the alliances your father spent decades building.”

“I’d do it again,” he said without hesitation. “A thousand times over.”

His willingness to confront his family, to defend me openly—it was the turning point I’d needed. For years, I’d seen him as a political partner at best, an adversary at worst. Now I glimpsed the possibility of something I’d thought forever lost: trust.

Something resolute settled in my chest. “I’m going to secure a new law in court,” I said, the idea crystallizing as I spoke. “‘The Royal Sovereignty Act.’ No royal marriage can be forced without the consent of the first spouse and the approval of the people.”

Caden’s face broke into a wide smile. “Taking back control.”

“Of my life,” I nodded. “Of our future. No more being pawns in someone else’s game.”

“The council will fight it,” he warned.

“Let them try,” I said, surprised by the steel in my own voice. “I have the support of the eastern provinces, the merchant guilds, and several key noble houses. And now,” I squeezed his hand, “I have you.”

“Always,” he promised. “Whatever comes next, we face it together.”

The certainty in his voice, the unwavering support in his eyes—it healed something in me I hadn’t realized was still broken. For years, I’d stood alone, fought alone, planned alone. The prospect of a true partner, someone to share both the burdens and joys of rule, was almost overwhelming.

He laughed then, the sound pure joy, and kissed me with such tenderness I nearly wept again. This wasn’t the desperate kiss from earlier in the evening, shadowed by years of hurt and separation. This was a beginning.