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Dark Moon Third Arc (Fallen Heart) - 402. A Strong King And A Reliable Queen
🕑 Added 2025-05-29 10:00:02 +0000 UTCThird Arc (Fallen Heart) - 402. A Strong King And A Reliable Queen
Rose walked right up to him, her hand brushing against the edge of his arm. “You’re not exactly hard to find.”
“I wasn’t expecting company.”
“You’re always expecting something,” she teased. Then, softer, “But I couldn’t walk past. You know why.”
He glanced back toward the direction Darius had gone, then looked at her again. “He’s observant.”
Rose nodded. “I know. That’s why I spoke to him.”
Angel tilted his head. “And?”
“He respects you. Even if he’s still trying to figure you out.”
Angel gave a dry chuckle. “Let him try.”
Rose raised an eyebrow at that, her gaze narrowing with the familiar look she gave him when she knew he was playing a deeper game. She folded her arms and leaned slightly into him, her voice a little quieter now, curious. “You just let him watch you like that? After what happened?”
Angel didn’t answer right away. He reached down to unbuckle the leather vambrace from his forearm, his fingers steady despite the slight scrape it left behind—fresh, from the last sparring round.
His expression was unreadable for a moment.
Then he glanced at her with that familiar calm. “He needs something to report,” he said simply. “So I gave him something.”
Rose blinked. “That’s it?”
Angel nodded. “Fair, right?”
She couldn’t help but chuckle. “True.”
Angel’s lips curved into a smirk, the kind that always made her suspicious and just a little amused. “What they need to see,” he said, voice low and deliberate, “is a strong kingdom. A strong king. A clean court. Loyal officers. And a reliable queen.”
He turned slightly to face her fully now, eyes sharp despite the relaxed tone. “They want to see weaknesses. Gaps. Tension. Any sign we’re crumbling on the inside. Something they could twist or break apart when they need leverage. And if they don’t see it, they’ll wait. And watch.”
Rose absorbed that. The way he said it—not with fear, but precision. Like it was just another fact of ruling.
She exhaled through her nose and looked back toward the castle silhouette in the distance, rising against the darkening sky like a crown of shadows. “That’s a lot of weight to carry.”
Angel glanced at the horizon too, the tip of his tongue running lightly over his teeth before he spoke. “Not as heavy as watching everything I built fall apart.”
Rose turned back to him, her fingers grazing his hand, just lightly. “Sometimes I wonder if you even realize how much I’d burn the world with you, not just stand beside you.”
“I know.” His tone softened. “You being here makes it bearable.”
They stood there for a beat, the wind brushing past them.
Distantly, a bell rang from the northern tower—just one chime, signaling the shift change for the guards. The courtyard, once filled with the sharp rhythm of blades and boots, was quiet now. Just a few scattered torches flickering along the outer walls and two stable boys hauling water buckets across the far side.
Angel’s voice dropped again. “Darius isn’t a fool. He came here to measure us. Not just me. All the delegations are doing the same—they’ve all been watching you.”
Rose arched an eyebrow, but there was no surprise in her eyes, only quiet understanding. “Of course they are. I knew the moment I wore the crown, I became part of the equation.”
“They’re waiting to see if Euphorion’s queen is just a title... or something more,” he said, eyes locking with hers.
She didn’t respond right away, but her grip on his hand tightened just a little, a silent answer in the curve of her fingers.
Angel nodded like he felt it. “And you’ve done well. Better than most would in your place.”
Rose rolled her eyes, though a faint smile tugged at her lips. “I’m still learning. Half the time I feel like I’m improvising and praying it looks intentional.”
“So did I when I started,” Angel replied with a small shrug. “That’s how you know you care. The moment you stop questioning yourself... that’s when you start making mistakes.”
Rose stepped a little closer, lowering her voice. “Do you still question yourself?”
Angel looked at her for a long moment, the courtyard quiet around them. Then he slowly nodded. “Every damn day.”
That honesty didn’t shake her—it grounded her. It wasn’t weakness. It was clarity.
“I don’t know how you do it,” she whispered. “How you always seem so... certain.”
“I’m not,” he said quietly. “I just don’t show it.”
