“We need Elváliev’s strength, Amerei. If Prince Xavien offers for you, then you ought to be grateful.”
Amerei’s breath came sharp.
“I. Will. Not.”
Her voice cut like lightning through rain.
“I will not make my first act as Queen of Casqadia bowing before Elváliev.”
Her gaze burned across the desk, unwavering.
“You may try to bind me to the elf-prince, but I will slip the noose every time. I will cross the realm if I must, outrun armies if I must—but I will always return to him.”
Her hand followed her eyes, rising to Viktor’s chest—unafraid.
“My soul has found its home in Viktor. And I will face ruin itself before I forsake him.”
For a long moment Storne only stared, fists braced on the desk, firelight glinting in his eyes.
“You dare stand here and defy me,” he said, quieter now but no less sharp.
Viktor’s pulse roared beneath Amerei’s hand, but neither faltered. Neither moved.
Storne’s gaze shifted between them, weighing.
Then he leaned back, folding his arms, the picture of a man savoring control.
“You will not have a wedding. You will not have a crown. Not yet.”
Amerei’s lips parted as if to argue, but his last words stopped her cold. She looked once to Viktor, then back to Storne. His hand came up, his voice softening—just enough.
“But if you mean this—if it is more than reckless youth—then bind yourselves in secret. Handfast. If you have the courage.”
The words hit Viktor like a blow to the ribs.
“Commander—”
“Yes, Captain. You heard me.”
The silence cut with the weight of something sacred.
Amerei’s brows lifted, her breath stilled.
“Handfast?” she murmured. “Like the Halyons do?”
Storne’s gaze flicked to her, then back to Viktor, daring.
“And the Aerdanians.” His tone hardened. “Their word is their bond, whether for battle or for marriage. Bold men take the vow, Captain. Do you?”
Amerei’s fingers curled into Viktor’s mantle, ready to shield him from her father’s trap—
But Viktor beat her to it.
He lifted his chin, every line of him carved in defiance, fire and frost beneath his skin. His voice rang through the chamber like a vow already forged.
“We have the courage.”
The sheer certainty of it rocked her. Her breath tripped, her heart slammed against her ribs. Dask—he meant it. He meant her.
