Leah's POV
The moon hung low, a sullen bruise in the sky, casting its pale judgment over the stone walls of Lucian's study. Its light slithered through the high windows, pooling on the floor where I stood, my swollen belly heavy under my dress, a reminder of the life I carried and the debts I owed. The air was thick with the scent of old parchment and wax, and I felt the weight of every step I'd taken to get here, each one a defiance of the exhaustion that clawed at my bones. My father, Lucian, sat behind his desk, his broad shoulders hunched over a sprawl of documents, his face carved with lines of weariness and resolve. The room hummed with the quiet authority of his presence, a king who wore his crown like a shackle.
I didn't speak at first, just let my gaze drift over the shelves, the maps pinned to the walls, the faint glint of a dagger resting on a side table. My heart thudded, a traitor in my chest, as I remembered the last time I'd stood in a room like this with him.
Now, I was no girl, but a woman with a child growing inside her, a woman who'd learned to play the game of submission while hiding a blade in her heart.
Lucian's eyes flicked up as I entered, and the room seemed to shift, the air sharpening. He waved a hand, and the advisors and scribes who'd been hovering like vultures scattered without a word, their footsteps echoing into silence. The heavy door thudded shut behind them, and we were alone, just the two of us and the ghosts of our pasts. His gaze dropped to my belly, and something softened in his face, a crack in the stone. He rose, crossing the room with a grace that belied his years, and took my hand, his grip firm but not cruel.
"Your due date's close, Leah," he said, his voice low, rough with concern. "You shouldn't be scampering about like some rabbit. Where's Lucas? Why isn't he with you?"
I forced a small smile, letting it tremble just enough to seem fragile. "He's been buried in wedding plans," I said, my voice soft, threaded with a weariness I didn't have to fake. "He's with me every day, hovering like I'm made of glass. I finally slipped out to see you." I tilted my head, glancing at the papers strewn across his desk. "What's got you so busy?"
Lucian's jaw tightened, and he turned back to his desk, his fingers brushing over a ledger. "I'm liquidating assets in Mediland," he said. "Preparing to bring them back to the Kingdom."
I nodded, stepping closer, my skirts brushing the floor. "Lycidas will handle that place, won't he?"
He gave a curt nod. "He's the best candidate for it."
I let my gaze wander, taking in the room's shadows, the way the moonlight carved harsh angles across the stone. "I went to Dr. Monk today," I said, my voice dropping, careful. "For a check-up. And I saw… him." I couldn't say Jalin's name, not here, not with Lucian. The air seemed to curdle at the thought of it, and I felt the old scars on my arms prickle under my sleeves.
Lucian didn't look up, just kept flipping through his papers, but I saw the muscle in his jaw twitch. "Oh?" he said, his tone flat, like he was commenting on the weather. "Is he… all right?"
"He didn't know me," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "Not a flicker of recognition."
Lucian's fingers stilled on the page. "That's how it goes with Alzheimer's."
I lowered my head, letting the silence stretch, heavy as iron. My hands rested on my belly, protective, instinctive. I didn't want to ask, didn't want to stir the embers of a fire I'd never fully understood, but the question burned in me, unspoken.
Lucian spoke first, his voice cutting through the quiet. "I know what you're wondering, Leah. Why I've let Jalin's actions slide, all these years."
I stayed silent, my lips pressed tight, my eyes fixed on the floor. The boards creaked under my weight, and I felt the weight of his gaze, heavy as the moon's.
"I could ask you something, too," he said, leaning back in his chair, his eyes narrowing. "Why are you risking your life to carry that child for Darren?"
I bit my lip, hard enough to taste copper. "To repay what I owe him," I said, my voice cracking, raw with truth.
Lucian's eyes held mine, steady, unyielding. "Then you understand why I've tolerated Jalin."
I frowned, my fingers curling into fists at my sides. The room felt smaller, the air thicker, like it was pressing against my skin.
"Jalin never knew his parents," Lucian said, his voice low, measured, but there was a tremor beneath it, a fault line waiting to crack. "He grew up with me. We were close, like brothers. He was always the bright one, all fire and laughter, while I was… cold. A block of wood." He paused, his eyes distant, lost in some memory I couldn't see. "But then he changed. Went quiet, pulled away. I didn't know why, not at first. Not until I came to my father's study one afternoon, earlier than I was expected."
I swallowed, my throat dry. "What did you see?"
His face darkened, hatred flashing in his eyes like a blade catching light. "I can't describe it," he said, his voice tight, almost a growl. "Jalin was there, with my father. Jalin saw me through the crack in the door, but my father didn't. Later, I confronted him. He told me… he was forced."
I stared at him, my breath catching. "Forced?"
Lucian's hands clenched, the knuckles white. "I tried to get him to leave, to go to another city, away from the Court. Away from my father. But he refused."
"Why?" The word slipped out, sharp with disbelief.
Lucian's eyes met mine, calm but heavy with pain. "He said if he left, he couldn't be with me any more."
I froze, my heart stuttering. The room seemed to tilt, the shadows twisting into shapes I couldn't name. Lucian's voice was steady, but it carried the weight of years, of secrets buried under stone.
"From that day, I hated my father," he said. "So I rebelled. I went out, stirred trouble, met with his favorite mistress in secret. And then… you were born." He looked at me, his gaze softening, but there was a hardness beneath it, a resolve I couldn't touch. "Leah, I'm telling you this so you'll understand. Love and forgiveness - they take many forms. But hate? Hate has only one end. I told Lycidas that if I die, he must never harm Jalin. Now, I need you to swear the same, in the name of your unborn child."
I hesitated, my chest tight, my hands trembling. The words felt like chains, heavy and cold, but I saw the plea in his eyes, the desperation of a man who'd carried too much for too long. "I swear," I said finally, my voice breaking, "in the name of my child, I'll never harm Jalin."
Lucian exhaled, a sound of relief, and his shoulders sagged. "Good. That's enough." He paused, then continued, his voice softer but no less firm. "One more thing, Leah. After you give birth, I'm handing the Kingdom's affairs to you. Lycidas and Lucas will stay to help you. I'm leaving, to live abroad with Jalin."
I shook my head, panic rising like bile. "No, Father, you can't..."
"I have cancer," he said, cutting me off, his voice flat, final. "Dr. Monk says I've got three years, maybe less. I've spent my life living for others, Leah. I'm tired. I want these last years for myself, with the person I love."
Tears burned my eyes, hot and unstoppable. "No," I choked, throwing myself into his arms, clinging to him like I could hold him here, keep him from slipping away. "No, Dad, I don't believe it. There has to be a way to cure you..."
He stroked my hair, his touch gentle but unyielding. "There might be a way to drag it out, but I don't want that. I've never wanted this life, Leah. It's so sad and... I'm done with it. It's your turn now." His voice softened, almost a whisper. "True love is letting go."
I sobbed against his chest, my tears soaking into his shirt, my body shaking with the weight of it all - the Kingdom, the child, the loss I couldn't stop.
The moon watched through the window, cold and unyielding, as my world broke apart in my father's arms.