“I was trying to help,” she said with a touch of dignity in her voice. “You were so serious when you first mentioned the marriage alliance. So burdened by the responsibility of finding a solution for our failing plants.” Her gaze shifted to me, then back to her son. “I wanted to give you joy. Lightness. I thought if you laughed more, if you seemed carefree and charming, Sasha would fall in love with the performance rather than seeing how heavy the crown weighs on you.”
My stomach twisted. The logic was warped, but I understood the motivation behind it. This was a mother’s desperate attempt to protect her child from rejection.
“You made me look foolish,” Dominic said, his voice hollow. “Giggling through my wedding vows. Unable tohave a serious conversation without erupting into involuntary laughter.”
“I thought I was helping,” Iberia said again, tears in her eyes. “I thought if she saw you as lighthearted and fun, she wouldn’t realize how much pressure you’re under. How afraid you are of failing your people.”
Dominic sank onto one of the kitchen stools, looking defeated in a way that made my chest crack wide open. “You didn’t trust me to be enough for Sasha as I am.”
The pain in his words cut deeply. This wasn’t about giggling or contaminated food. This was about a son realizing his mother had seen him as inadequate, as someone who needed magical intervention to be worthy of love.
I wanted to go to him, to tell him how wrong Iberia was. But this moment belonged to them, and I held myself back.
“Mother.” Dominic’s voice came out steady despite the devastation in his eyes. “Are you also causing the plants to wilt? Are you sabotaging the emotion-responsive flowers and the festival preparations?”
Iberia’s head snapped up, and genuine shock crossed her face. “No. Absolutely not.” Panic crept into her voice. “Dominic, you have to believe me. I would never sabotage the festival or harm the gardens. This is sacred to our people, to our magic. I only—I only wanted to help your marriage. Please, you must believe me.”
The truth of her words rang clear. Whatever was affecting the plants, it wasn’t Iberia’s doing.
Which meant we still had another mystery to solve.
But that could wait.
The weight of leadership settled on Dominic’s shoulders. When he looked up, I could tell he’d made his decision. The son was stepping back, and the king stepped forward.
“You will leave the court,” he said, his voice gentle but firm. “Pack your belongings. Go stay at your eastern estate until I send for you.”
“Dominic—”
“I’m not banishing you permanently,” he added. “But you violated my trust. You manipulated not just me, but everyone in the court. The servants, the nobles, even Sasha.” His jaw tightened. “I need time to think about what this means. And the court needs to see that no one, not even the former queen, is above accountability.”
Tears spilled down Iberia’s cheeks, but she nodded. “You’re right. Of course you’re right.” She stiffened her spine. “I’ll be ready to leave within the hour.”
“Thank you.”
She turned and walked toward the door, pausing when she reached it to look back. Her gaze found mine, and I braced myself for blame or resentment.
Instead, I saw hope.
“Take care of him,” she said softly. “He needs someone who sees him clearly. Who loves him for who he actually is, not who he thinks he should be.”
She left, the door closing softly behind her.
Silence settled over the kitchen. Dawn light was beginning to filter through the windows. In the distance, I could hear the first stirrings of the household waking up to start the day. The kitchen staff would arrive soon.
Dominic sat on the stool, staring at his hands lying on his thighs.
I crossed the space between us, nudged his thighs apart to step between them, and wrapped my arms around him.
He stiffened before his body relaxed into mine. He dropped his head to rest his chin on my shoulder, and he released a long, shuddering breath.
“I sent my mother away,” he said.
“You did what you had to do.” I stroked his hair, trying to find the right words to help him through this. “It couldn’t have been easy.”
“She was trying to help. In her own misguided way, she thought she was protecting me.” His arms came around me, holding tight. “But she didn’t trust me. She looked at me and saw someone who wasn’t enough.”
“She’s wrong.” I pulled back enough to stroke his cheek and tilt his chin, making him look at me. “You are enough, Dominic. You’ve been enough since the moment I met you.”
