The garden should have felt ordinary again.
It should have returned to quiet paths, soft wind, and the illusion that life inside palace walls could remain contained within human understanding.
But nothing about today was ordinary anymore.
Not after the court.
Not after Alexander.
Not after truths had been spoken that could not be taken back.
And certainly not after Aliena had chosen him—with a certainty that still lingered in Sebastian's chest like something both steady and dangerously fragile.
They walked anyway.
Because sometimes, walking was the only way to keep from thinking too much.
The stone path curved gently beneath their feet, leading them away from the structured elegance of the main gardens into something more natural—taller trees, uneven patches of grass, sunlight filtering through leaves instead of reflecting off polished marble.
It felt… quieter here.
Or perhaps—
less watched.
